Tedium
by Vellichor29
Summary: Knowledge is the most noble goal mankind can pursue. After one has learned all he/she can about a subject, one should move on. That's why Henry Wu designed hybrid dinosaurs, he had learned all he could about regular ones. There was no more challenge in it… and now hybrids have become boring. He seeks a new challenge… and Owen and his raptors are the key.
1. Chapter 1

Tedium

Author's Note:

 **This is a request from dracologistmaster. He provided a story prompt, and I am answering it. Okay, let me set up the story: Henry Wu has been creating dinosaurs for years and he got bored. So he started making hybrids, his first successful hybrid being the Indominus Rex. The I-Rex escapes her paddock, but is brought down by ACU not far from the cage (as in the scene by the brook, ACU decided to be competent and actually prepare). It has been three years since then. Wu had been busying himself with making more hybrids (the I-Rex is still highly popular, but her popularity has been waning), a Stegoceratops, an Ankylodocus, and several others. But Henry Wu has grown predictably bored once again. So he has set out to bring back the massive Spinosaurus from Isla Sorna. But for some reason this new challenge hasn't peaked his excitement in the slightest bit… he's become more interested in the man who is helping him, Owen Grady.**

XXX

Prologue:

 _Why did I decide to actually come with them?_ Henry Wu thought. He and thirty of Jurassic World's finest ACU members and twenty of InGen's soldiers were trekking through the marshes of Isla Sorna. Plus one Owen Grady, Raptor tamer extraordinaire. Not that his raptors could even be considered tame. He had elected to go along because there could be Raptors on the island, and if anyone could talk them down, it would be Owen.

 _Ah, I remember, I was bored,_ Wu realized. After the immense success of his first hybrid, the Indominus Rex, he had been ordered to continue his research. It was difficult to find dinosaurs that were compatible to fuse, but he had found several. Mostly herbivores, but he hoped to change that soon. The Indominus was a massive animal, now fifty feet head to tail. But its intelligence had begun to unnerve people. He would never tell people that he used his own DNA to stabilize the beast, which was why she was so intelligent.

Henry hoped to make a hybrid even larger than the Indominus, and there was only really one carnivore larger than the T-Rex that Wu could think of. A Spinosaurus. The idea was to fuse a Spino with a T-Rex, but first he would have to get a DNA sample. Hence why he had brought a literal army to Isla Sorna, it was home to the only Spinosaurus sample on the planet. Jurassic World could use a Spinosaurus to display and it would further Wu's research, but the tricky part was capturing the beast.

The Spino in question is forty-five feet long and has an explosive temper. It has been known to hunt down poachers for revenge. The idea was that they would tranquilize the Spino, radio for their truck, and then load it on the boat to Jurassic World. But Wu wasn't so sure that they could keep the Spino asleep for that long. And Wu was putting his own life on the line, the beast needed to stay down for as long as possible.

Suddenly, there was a loud **ROAR**! The Spinosaurus burst from the thick, brackish lake. The soldiers opened fire on the beast while Wu stood in awe of its size and ferocity. Sure, when the Indominus had escaped, everyone was certain that the park was doomed. After it killed commander Hamada and most of the troops sent to contain it, Wu was sure that it was unstoppable. But he wasn't there. And she was eventually contained. The Spinosaurus was giving him the same feeling, only multiplied by a thousand because he was standing witness to the entire fight.

InGen soldiers were sent flying by its tail, Owen only barely manage to escape its nightmarish, crocodile jaws, and ACU crumpled before its almighty claws. The soldiers fired specially made shotguns that shot tranquilizer darts, specially designed for the Spinosaurus. But the Spino was just brushing off the fire as if mosquitoes were picking at its tough scales. Wu could say that the Indominus was more frightening because she was cruel, calculating, and intentionally sadistic.

The Spinosaurus was none of those things. It was almost merciful, giving each soldier a quick warrior's death. It did not think, it only charged into the fight, teeth bared and claws splayed. Those who had the misfortune of being caught in its massive jaws were quickly crunched up and swallowed, unlike the security guard that the Indominus swallowed whole. They were both terrifying forces to be reckoned with, but Wu would have to give a slight edge to his creation in the terrifying factor.

The Spino has been stuck multiple times with the tranquilizers, but it refused to go down. Both the InGen commander and the ACU commander had been caught by its claws, but Owen seemed to have taken command. He was yelling out orders as the few remaining troops backed away in retreat. Owen darted _underneath_ the Spino to hit its sensitive underbelly. Finally, the Spino started to teeter, its eyes became glazed, and it toppled over. It had fallen asleep.

Shouldering his shotgun, Owen marched over to Wu and shook him vigorously. "Hey? Are you still alive? You need to call for the truck," Owen ordered. Owen had thought that Wu coming along was insane. Wu was not a fighter, and he was too valuable to be lost doing something stupid.

"How many have we lost?" Wu asked. He couldn't tear his gaze from the Spino, it was so big. He had never been this close to any other large carnivore except Rexy, the Jurassic World T-Rex.

"More than half," Owen responded. He surveyed the field of corpses and tried to think of the best way to get them all out of here. Before the Raptors smelled the carnage.

Wu grimaced, but quickly composed himself, "At least we got it." He pulled out his radio and ordered the truck to come to them. Thankfully, they weren't far from the port, this was an in and out job.

"Him," Owen mumbled softly. The Spino was definitely a male. Wu made a mental note, but pretended not to hear him.

"They'll be here in five minutes." The truck that they had gotten was a semi pulling a huge open top trailer. Hopefully the truck wouldn't get stuck in the marshy ground. Wu watched as the remaining soldiers piled the deceased. It was decided that they would burn the carcasses. It might scare off the raptors if they think that there is a forest fire.

The truck arrived. The flatbed that the semi towed was a custom design. It had a conveyer belt to assist in loading the dinosaur. All they had to do was jam the ramp under him and turn on the belt. Of course the remaining men had to help by pulling the Spino up onto the bed with ropes, but it was surprisingly easy to do so. Before the soldiers knew it, the Spino was packed onto the truck and tied down. The pile of deceased men had been burning for a few minutes and there were no signs of any raptors.

The truck was loaded onto the boat and they set sail to Jurassic World. Guards had been assigned to the Spino to make sure that he stayed asleep. He did. Wu was surprised that everything was going so well. Besides losing over thirty men, the Spino was safely stowed away in the belly of the ship and they were half-way to Jurassic World already. Wu had already begun taking blood samples of the Spino. He didn't know what would be compatible with the massive Spino, but he hoped that it would be a T-Rex.

XXX

Dr. Wu was in his lab studying the DNA samples he had taken. He was alone, except for his assistant. All of the other geneticists had gone home for the night. A small ping sounded. The DNA analysis was finished. "Ah, I hoped as much," Wu mused. The Spino was compatible with a T-Rex… but only a T-Rex. Nothing else would fuse with the massive carnivore.

"T-Rex?" his assistant questioned. Wu only nodded his head. "Shall I begin the fusing process?" Again, Wu only nodded. The fusing process was quite complex. Basically, the two (or more) blood samples were put into a machine that isolated certain dominant traits. It would then begin to form a strand of DNA that would be copied billions of times. The DNA would be combined in a special liquid that would be injected into a makeshift embryo. The embryo would then be injected into the egg that it would eventually hatch from.

Wu leaned back with a sigh, bored once again. He had hoped that his little expedition to Isla Sorna would be the solution to his problem, but it hadn't done a thing. "I had hoped that the Spinosaurus would be compatible with other things," Wu groaned.

"Well the Spinosaurus is pretty unique, I'm not really surprised that nothing else can combine with it," his assistant said. The fusing process has begun, now they had to wait until it was ready to be injected into the egg.

"I suppose so," Wu said angrily. He had forgotten that there was no hope when dealing with science. "Do you ever think that you have learned all that you can?" Wu asked.

"Not really, the world is so big and I doubt that we can learn all that there is to know," his assistant said.

"That's not what I'm asking. I asked if you ever thought that you have learned all that you can, not if you have learned everything."

"Oh… well, I guess I think that I have learned all that I can about certain things, but not everything that I want to learn."

"I can agree with that. After I had successfully cloned that Suchomimus, I believed that I had learned all that I could about dinosaurs, so I moved on to hybrids. But now I'm beginning to believe that I have learned all that there is here too. So now I ask, what's next?"

His assistant was quiet for she did not know the answer. She could claim that Wu was going through a mid-life crisis and he shouldn't be worrying about these things. Hybrids were still a promising field, there are still many different combinations that can be made. She didn't think that she has learned all that there is to know… but then again, she isn't Wu. She could only smile at the troubled man, she knew that her opinion wouldn't be appreciated.

There was a knock on the door. "Yes come in," Wu said. He picked up his clipboard and a pen and pretended to write. It was a little trick that he had picked up: look like you're busy and people will leave you alone. It is especially effective against people he doesn't like.

A tall, portly man walked through the door. "Hey Dr. Wu. I heard that you managed to get the Spinosaurus back here," it was Hoskins. He marched right over to Wu's desk and sat down opposite of him. Wu's assistant excused herself from the room. "I heard this from ACU, none of my men reported back to me."

"That would be because they are all dead," Wu said, no hints of sympathy in his voice. Although the loss of life was troubling, he didn't particularly like Hoskins or any of his mercenaries.

"Well at least they don't expect to be paid," Hoskins chuckled. Wu only forced a smile. "Anyways, I came to see if you were finally getting around to making us that hybrid. You know, the one that we requested three years ago?"

"Something hyper-intelligent and about as large as a Raptor? I'm sorry, but what I am working on right now is not going to fulfill that order," Wu personally thought that the "weaponized dinosaurs" scheme was one of the worst ideas on the planet. When InGen decided that the Raptors weren't making sufficient progress, they ordered Wu to make them a hybrid that would be more willing to follow orders.

"I'll save my spiel because you've heard it about a million times, but you know that we'd pay good money for our hybrid. And if it performs to standard, then we'd order a dozen more. That means more money. We would have used the Indominus, but she is too big to be useful in most situations," Hoskins ranted. Wu didn't understand why the dinosaur had to be the size of a Raptor, something about searching tunnels and caves. Wouldn't they rather have something that could go toe-to-toe with a tank?

"It's not about the money, Hoskins. I can only combine certain dinosaurs in certain ways. If you want them to be the size of a Raptor, then the hybrid needs to have Raptor DNA. Not a lot of things are compatible with Raptor DNA. The Indominus, yes, but she is made up of so many different things that it is difficult to tell where one DNA signature begins and another ends. And the only reason she isn't the size of a Raptor is because if there was any more or any less Rex DNA in her, she would be too unstable to use," Wu explained.

Hoskins sighed angrily and stood from his seat. "Henry… can I call you Henry?"

"No," was Wu's answer.

"That's fine. Look, I want to show you something," Hoskins beckoned Wu to follow him. Wu trailed behind Hoskins as they left the labs. Wu was cautious, staying behind Hoskins the entire time. They got into a truck and Hoskins drove them to the Raptor paddock. They stepped out of the truck and Hoskins asked, "Do you know where we are?"

"The Raptor enclosure," Wu responded. Hoskins nodded and led Wu over to the paddock. Despite it being nearly ten o'clock, Owen and his assistants were working with the Raptors. Currently Owen was up on the walkway giving commands to the little beasties while Barry and the others watched.

Wu had no idea what kind of training the Raptors were going through, he just knew that it has been well over three years since the program started and no visible progress has been made. Wu flinched when the large blue Raptor snapped at her sister and tossed her to the ground. Owen tried to regain control, but the Raptors ran off on him. "You see, Wu? These Raptors just don't listen. They are intelligent and ferocious and they can take orders, but they refuse to follow commands. That's why we want a hybrid, something that is more intelligent, something that can be reasoned with and can obey. We thought the Indominus was the one… but she refuses to follow orders. You need to work with us, Wu," Hoskins explained.

Wu raised an eyebrow, "Work with you? I think that you need to understand that I just can't _give_ these animals the will to obey. I can't zap sixty-five million years of instinct out of them." He crossed his arms as Hoskins approached him. Wu backed into the cage as Hoskins kept coming closer.

Hoskins opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by Owen, who was descending the stairs to the walkway. "Hoskins, the Indominus doesn't obey because you didn't raise it right. I've been saying this for three years: you've abused that animal and now all it wants to do is destroy."

Hoskins whirled around to face Owen. Wu took a deep breath, though Hoskins didn't seem like an intimidating man, he was much larger and stronger than Wu. And Wu had no doubt that Hoskins was willing to use his strength to threaten him. "The Indominus was dangerous the moment she came out of that egg!" Hoskins practically screamed at Owen. They've clearly had this argument before.

"She was only a hatchling, she didn't know any better. She was trying to explore and learn about the world and you locked her up because you misunderstood her motives. You didn't even try to discipline her or teach her about the world, no, you immediately stuck her in a paddock with only her sister for company!" The two were practically touching foreheads. Although Hoskins was slightly taller than Owen, it was a minor difference, and Owen was definitely stronger and more muscular than Hoskins. Owen would win in a fight, then toss Hoskins into the raptor paddock to show him just _how dangerous_ the Raptors really are.

"She ate her sister when she was only three months old!"

"Because _you_ weren't feeding her properly," Owen argued. Then in was silent. Wu held his breath, it was like the calm before the storm. "I don't know why you didn't give them to a professional. You didn't even exert yourself as the dominant one in the relationship. You have no qualifications to be taming dinosaurs, Hoskins."

Hoskins only fumed and stomped off. He climbed into his truck and drove off, ignoring Wu's plea to wait. Now he was stuck with no ride, he would have to walk back to his labs. Owen rubbed his tired eyes, "When will he get this into his fat little head?"

"Having some trouble with your Raptors?" Wu asked innocently. Although warfare dinosaurs was a stupid idea, trained Raptors was very intriguing. Although it didn't look as if Owen has actually asserted himself as the alpha of this pack.

"Sometimes they follow orders and sometimes they don't. For some reason, Hoskins doesn't seem to understand this," Owen sighed. He began to walk around the paddock with Wu following. Most of his assistants have dispersed, only Barry remained.

"Well Hoskins isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed," Barry said. He had a slight French accent as he spoke. Owen broke out into laughter.

"Hell would freeze over before Hoskins would understand these Raptors. I'd probably have to feed him to them," Owen said. He turned to Wu, "What are you doing here?"

"Hoskins brought me here."

"What does he want from you?"

Wu paused, technically InGen's business was supposed to be classified information. But then again, Wu didn't really care what InGen wanted. "He wants me to make him a… more agreeable Raptor hybrid."

Owen made an 'oh' sound, "And are you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if it is even possible."

"Even if it was possible, they'd probably treat it just like they did the Indominus… which did not end well for them." Owen paused and seemed to think. "Actually, it would be nice if I could understand them, might make it easier to determine exactly how to approach them."

A lightbulb went off in Wu's head. A new challenge! He had made the Indominus with human DNA, but that was only a small amount. What if he could make a human with _dinosaur_ DNA? Theories and ideas flooded his brilliant mind, it was possible. He was so distracted that he almost missed Owen saying, "That would fix the communication problem."

"Actually, Mr. Grady, I think that I may be able to help you." Owen raised his eyebrows higher than he ever had before and Barry looked at Wu like he had grown a second head. "If you would only give me a lift back to my lab, perhaps I can see what I can do." Owen looked at Barry, silently asking if this was a good idea. Barry only shrugged.

"Sure, what the hell," Owen said as he lead Wu to his motorcycle. Wu had never driven on a motorcycle before, so he was reasonably terrified.

"Oh, I have to see this," Barry mumbled before starting his ATV and following Owen and Wu.

XXX

 **So, what do you think? It's a good start, I think. I am now working on several things at once, but don't you all worry about that. I am more than capable of multi-tasking. Right now, this has consumed me, so I will likely begin writing the next chapter immediately. Stay tuned for the next one, oh and thank you dracologistmaster for the wonderful idea. For those of you who are wondering exactly what the prompt is, you can go and find it under his stories. For the ones who would rather be kept in the dark, keep reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - Deceit:

"Sam!" Wu called out as he burst into the labs, Owen and Barry following close behind him. The ride to the lab wasn't pleasant, Wu could have sworn that Owen was driving wildly just to scare him. He almost fell off several times. Wu vowed to never ride a motorcycle again.

"Yes?" Wu's assistant responded. She poked her head out of Wu's personal office. Wu knew that it was presumptuous of him to think that she would have stayed behind even while he was gone, but he was just glad she was still here.

"Get me an empty needle," Wu commanded as he led Owen to a large chair. The labs weren't designed to deal with humans. Only dinosaurs. So Wu had picked out the most comfortable looking chair he could.

"Here," Sam said as she handed Wu the needle. She raised her eyebrow at the scene before her. Owen was sitting in a chair with Wu brandishing the needle at him, while Barry watched with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Uh… what are you doing?"

Wu ignored her and instead focused on Owen. He stabbed the needle into Owen's arm and drew blood from him. "Alright, that's it, you can go now."

"That's it?" Owen said, clearly disappointed. He was expecting to be injected with some sort of super serum… not have his blood drawn.

"That's all I need for now. I will perform some tests and get back to you within a week," Wu said. He pulled Owen up from the chair and began to push him out of the door, Barry along with him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some work done in peace." He shut the lab door behind them.

"I was expecting something more," Owen mumbled, but turned to leave. Barry nodded. That was extremely anti-climactic.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked. Wu continued to ignore her and instead approached the DNA analyzer he had used the Spinosaurus DNA on. "Hey, Earth to Dr. Wu! I'm talking here!"

"Oh, sorry. I was caught in the moment… Owen has volunteered to be our next project," Wu said excitedly. He put the vial of Owen's blood into the machine and began the analysis.

"What about our Spinosaurus Rex?" she asked. It wasn't like Wu to just suddenly drop everything to work on something unrelated. He was a meticulous man who liked to do everything in steps. Only one project at a time.

"Huh? Is it ready to be put into its egg?"

"No, it won't be ready for another few hours."

"Then we have time to work on this," Wu said, pulling out a sheet of paper. It suddenly occurred to him that what he was about to do was surely illegal. Owen wanted to be able to understand the raptors, but it didn't make the procedure any more ethical. They would be operating outside of the law, so it would be best to record everything on paper instead of on a computer.

"What _exactly_ are we doing?" Sam was becoming frustrated. She knew better than anyone that Wu could be vague and mysterious. He constantly kept classified information from not only her, but everyone else. But if he wanted her help then she needed to be in on the loop.

"I am helping Mr. Grady train his raptors," Wu said. He stood and began to look for his clipboard. It wasn't in the last place he had left it.

"Why do you care?"

"I suppose it is the next step to hybridization." Where was that clipboard?

Sam respected Wu a lot. She was always ready to help and she almost never betrayed his confidence. But just this once she looked at what he had written on the piece of paper. She got the gist of what he wanted from his words, but the paper provided the final clue, "No, you aren't going to do this."

Wu spun around to look at her. "I am going to do this, you cannot stop me."

"But it's unethical!" Sam protested, "And not to mention illegal."

"When has ethics, morals, or the law ever stopped me? This is science, Sam, it cannot be contained by human weakness," Wu chuckled. "Besides, I have already given one of our hybrids human DNA." He faltered, he hadn't meant to say that.

"Wu, you did not! _That's human experimentation!_ " Sam practically screamed. She was always impressed by Wu's ability to remain calm in stressful situations. She had always been a hothead of sorts, but she was getting better. She couldn't stop herself now, though, she was already too angry. "Please don't tell me that the one with human DNA is the Indominus."

"She is, I needed human DNA to stabilize her."

"God damn it, Wu. Human experimentation is at the very top of the list of _things that scientists aren't supposed to do!_ Even if the subject is willing." Sam's rage was starting to diminish. Wu was spitting in the face of everything she believed in… but the scientist in her was curious about having human hybrids.

"I won't lie to you Sam, this is illegal. I'm going to give you a choice: if you want to help you have to accept the fact that you might be arrested. If you don't want to help then I beg you to forget all of this. So, what will it be?"

Sam sighed and dug through one of the desk drawers. She pulled out Wu's clipboard and handed it to him, "I guess I'm in. But I have two requests."

Wu resisted the urge to roll his eyes, Sam would go to the ends of the Earth for him. He had never doubted for one second that she would help. "Name them." Even if terms and conditions may apply.

"One: I want you to tell Owen that this entire endeavor is impossible. He can't know about this, otherwise he'd get arrested too if we were caught and I don't want him to be a victim of all of this," she said.

"Done," Wu said. He didn't really want anyone to be arrested, he didn't plan on being caught. But if it came down to it, he would rather it only be him going to jail.

"Two…" Sam trailed off before rubbing her arm. She thought carefully about what she was going to say before she actually began to speak. Wu raised his eyebrows higher than he thought they could go. There was no way he was agreeing to this demand.

"No," Wu said firmly.

"It's the only way I will help you," Sam said.

"Then I will do this alone," Wu claimed. He crossed his arms and turned towards his office, "You can work on the Spinosaurus Rex."

Sam paused to think again. She tucked a stray piece of black hair behind her ear and said, "Then this has been upgraded to blackmail. When I said that I would help you under two conditions, I meant that I would only keep quiet under two conditions."

Wu halted and turned back around. "What did you say?" he said trying to threaten her. But one look at her body language threw him off. She was rigid with determination, she would not falter under his threats. She had the upper hand.

"These are my only conditions," Sam shrugged.

Wu sighed in defeat, he had no choice but agree to her demands, "Fine, but don't think that you're getting out of helping with the Spino Rex. Let's get down to business." He sat back down at the desk and waited for the analysis of Owen's DNA to be finished.

XXX

Owen woke up bright and early. He had become used to waking up early long ago. The Raptors, despite often refusing to listen, demanded him to make an appearance the moment they woke up. Although one of the Raptors was awake at five in the morning, the others slept in until eight. Owen woke up at seven.

Owen brushed his teeth and decided not to skip today's shower. After Claire's quip about the dinosaurs being sensitive to smell during the Indominus Incident, Owen had begun to shower more regularly. He had also begun washing his clothes more regularly. Now instead of wearing dirty clothes for a month, he had clean clothes for a week. Although Owen was more comfortable, the Raptors didn't seem to notice the change in hygiene.

Owen stepped out of the shower and dressed himself in clean clothes. Although he had upgraded his personal hygiene, the state of his bungalow was sadly no better than it was three years ago. Old food and trash was strewn everywhere. Owen heard a muffled ringing sound from somewhere in his bedroom.

Despite the state of disrepair, he had never struggled to find anything. He had left his cellphone underneath his pillows. It only took him ten seconds to find it. "Hello?"

"Owen Grady?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Dr. Wu?" he responded.

"I would like to tell you that your results are in, so to speak," Wu said.

"Oh… that was fast. I thought you said that it could take a week?"

"I said that it could take a week to be able to do anything, I am calling to give you some disturbing news. You see, you aren't actually compatible with Raptors, so giving you the ability to speak to them would be quite impossible."

Owen frowned, that was some bad news. Yesterday, Wu had sounded as if he could actually give him the ability to understand the Raptors. But he guessed not. "Oh, that's disappointing."

"But on the bright side, it turns out that you are compatible with a Spinosaurus. So if you want, we can hook you up with the ability to understand our new one."

"No thanks. I only really want to talk to my girls… but whatever. Thanks for telling me." Now Owen was glum. He hung up on Wu. He rode his motorcycle to the Raptor paddock, perhaps the girls were feeling agreeable today.

When he arrived, he was approached by Barry, "Hey Owen… hey, what's wrong?" Barry was always quick to notice when someone was in distress.

"Oh nothing, just that I found out that I won't be understanding Blue anytime soon," Owen said.

"You actually thought that they could give you the ability to talk to them?" Barry chuckled slightly. He had never believed for one second that Owen would be able to learn the Raptor language.

"He said my DNA wasn't compatible."

"Well I guess we'll just keep trying. Who knows? Perhaps you'll eventually pick up something!" Barry laughed again. Then he grew serious, "By the way, there's someone here to see the Raptors."

That piqued Owen's interests, "Oh, who is it?" Barry led him around the paddock to see a very tall woman. She was taller than Owen and she was wearing a white lab coat that seemed too small for her. She kept glancing around nervously, as if she was hiding something. Owen narrowed his eyes and approached her.

Sam was sweating bullets. She didn't expect Wu to send her to gather the Raptor DNA they needed. She had to do it without garnering suspicion. "Owen Grady?" she asked as he stepped closer to her.

"Do I know you?" he asked. Sam panicked but didn't say anything. "That's right, I saw you in Dr. Wu's lab yesterday? Who are you and what do you want?"

 _Shit, I forgot that he saw me yesterday!_ Sam thought. "My name is… uh… Dr. Bell, and I am… a… veterinarian. I'm here to give your Raptors a checkup."

"Okay then…" Owen said, "Why were you in Wu's labs? And why do my Raptors need a checkup?"

"Ah, the vet building is right next to the labs, Dr. Wu is a good friend of mine. I was looking for something when you all barged in… uh, Sulfurious Dichromactite," Sam explained. Of course Sulfurious Dichromactite doesn't exist and even if it did, Wu wouldn't have any, but Owen didn't know that. "Some of the animals are getting pretty sick, none have died yet, but one of the Trikes came close last night. I need to make sure your Raptors are in tip-top shape." Sam was lying through her teeth. Owen stayed out in the restricted zone most of the time. He had no idea what was and what wasn't going on in the park.

"By all means, have them checked. Hey Barry! Have the girls get into the docks!" Owen shouted out. "What I don't get is why Wu was ordering you around… as if you were just his assistant."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Wu likes to treat me like I'm his slave. It's how our relationship works, I steal from him, and he treats me like a servant. I only actually helped him because it sounded like an emergency." She waved her hand, dismissing Owen's concern. It was silent as Owen processed this information. Suddenly, Blue's face appeared in the holding dock next to Sam. She screamed in surprise and jumped nearly three feet into the air, practically landing in Owen's arms.

"Well here they are," Owen said, cracking a smile. She only huffed at him and began to take blood samples from his Raptors. They were surprisingly calm around her, even after she stabbed them with a needle. Only Blue gave her a hard time, twisting in her restraint, trying to get away from the needle.

Once Sam had finished collecting a sample from each of the Raptors, she turned to Owen and said, "Alright, thank you very much. I will have the results in a few hours, I'll come back then."

"Hold on, just one more thing," Owen said. Sam froze, repeating _shit, shit, shit_ in her head. "How about we just exchange phone numbers, that way you don't have to come all the way back here."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, "Yeah sure." They exchanged numbers and Sam drove away.

A huge smirk played across Owen's face, "I got her number," he bragged to Barry.

"Yeah, for official business," Barry crossed his arms.

"Still counts," Owen shrugged, "Besides, I can just ask her out when she calls about the Raptors." Barry only rolled his eyes. Owen hasn't changed a bit.

XXX

Sam slammed the lab door behind her causing Wu to look up from his papers. Several other geneticists gave her annoyed looks. "I… uh, got what you wanted," Sam whispered to Wu. He nodded and they receded into his private office.

"Did he suspect anything?" Wu asked after shutting his office door. They had to be careful, one false step or one eavesdropper, they would be screwed. It was not uncommon for Wu and Sam to barricade themselves in his office, so none of the other workers thought anything of it. Wu had been careful to only write his observations and notes on pieces of scrap paper. Paper that he had with him at all times.

"Of course he did, but I was able to throw him off," Sam said with a victorious smirk. Wu only raised an eyebrow in question. "Okay, so I might have told him that I was a veterinarian."

"And he believed you?"

"I can be very convincing."

Wu nodded. He had moved the DNA analyzer into his office so he could take a look at each of the Raptor samples. He had to determine which of the Raptors would splice the best with Owen's DNA. "Hey, is the Spino Rex in its egg?" Sam asked.

"Yes, about five minutes after you left." Sam sighed, putting the embryo in the egg was the best part. She stripped off the too small lab coat that she had been wearing. Sam was a frighteningly tall woman, measuring six foot four. Wu was only five foot five, and the tallest geneticist was only five foot eight. The lab coat Sam had borrowed had been Wu's, it looked more like a white jacket on her.

"Right, I guess I'd better go check on it," Sam said. She cracked her neck and moved to open the door. She hesitated when her hand touched the handle, "Remind me when the analysis is done to call Owen. I told him that we were doing disease testing, he's expecting a call." And then she left, leaving Wu alone.

Wu leaned back in his luxurious chair, waiting for the first sample to be finished. He had no idea which of the Raptors each sample belonged to, Sam had neglected to label them with anything more than one, two, three, and four. Wu had been present at their hatching along with Owen. He had seen the man pick up and imprint on each of the Raptors, then name them. He followed the NATO alphabet, he was alpha so he started at beta. Except that when he picked up the first Raptor he had been unable to name her anything other than Blue.

He would admit that he knew very little about the Raptors. But when he was dragged to the paddock yesterday, he knew that Blue was the one Owen had connected with the best. Wu half hoped that the DNA that connected the best with Owen's was Blue's. When the man found out (which Wu knew he inevitably would) he might not be as angry.

The first sample pinged. _95% compatible!_ Wu thought. None of the other hybrids had been this compatible with each other. By this account Owen was already practically a Raptor. Wu was tempted to just go ahead with this sample, but he decided against it. What if one of the samples was even more compatible, however unlikely.

It only took twenty minutes for the other samples to finish. The results were incredible. Although none of the other samples reached 95%, they were all in the 60-80% range. The lowest was 65% and the second highest was 83%. Wu decided to run the first sample again, perhaps there was a mistake… maybe he would have Sam go and another sample. But for now… "Sam!" Wu called out. He didn't bother opening the door, he knew Sam was nearby.

Sam had finished looking at the egg and had been chatting with another assistant when Wu called for her. The other assistant gave her a sarcastic wave, to which she flipped him off, and she entered Wu's private office. She shut the door behind her, "Yes?"

"The DNA analysis has been completed. I would like you to retake one of the samples," Wu said.

"Why?" Sam did not want to go back to the Raptor paddock. She preferred the nice, safe, air conditioned lab.

"One of the samples was compatible at 95%."

"So, isn't that a good thing?"

"Not if the DNA has been contaminated. All of the samples were relatively high, just this one was exponentially higher. I want you to go and resample Raptor number one."

"Fine," Sam huffed. She pulled the too small lab coat over her simple clothes and snatched an empty needle from Wu's cabinet. She stormed out of Wu's office and out of the lab building. Sam drove at a blinding speed towards the Raptor paddock. She had to take a moment to compose herself. She needed to appear distressed, not angry.

She stepped out of her car and was immediately greeted by Barry, "Back so soon? I thought you were going to call?"

"This is unfortunately more urgent," Sam claimed as she allowed him to lead her to Owen. Owen's face lit up when he saw her, but quickly became confused. "Owen, there might be something wrong with one of your Raptors."

Owen's face fell quickly. Could today get any worse? First he found out that he wasn't going to be able to understand the Raptors and now one of his Raptors was sick. "What's wrong?" He remained hopeful, perhaps this was just some prank.

"One of your Raptors has tested positive for an unknown pathogen. I would like to take another sample, just in case the first was contaminated," Sam explained.

"So nothing's positive yet? Which Raptor is it?" Owen asked. He kept repeating in his head, _please don't be Blue, please don't be Blue._

"Uh… the blue one."

"Shit," Owen said aloud. He cringed, but didn't panic. There was still a chance that the needle was contaminated. She was going to redo the test. He led her to the paddock and called Blue in. She actually obeyed the first time he called. "This is Blue," Owen said, realizing that he didn't introduce the Raptors the first time she was here.

Sam worked quickly, drawing a second sample from the struggling, blue Raptor. "Right, well… hopefully she won't test positive this time," Sam said. She remained somber, but she knew that there wasn't really anything to worry about. But Owen couldn't know that.

"What are the chances of a contaminated needle?" Owen asked.

Sam paused, "Very uncommon, but it does happen." She left as quickly as she came. Owen rubbed his eyes, this was going to be a long, stressful day.

XXX

Sam returned to the lab and handed Wu the sample. He began the analysis process. They waited the five minutes that it took. "95% again," Wu mumbled. There was no way this was a contamination.

"Well I guess this is the DNA we're going to use," Sam said. She pulled out her phone and stepped out of the office to call Owen. "Owen?"

"Yes?" the voice on the other line said. It wavered slightly, the only thing that betrayed how nervous he was.

"Blue is fine, the needle was just contaminated."

Owen let out a loud sigh of relief, "Oh thank God." He just breathed for a few seconds. Sam remained on the line out of politeness. This was a man who thought he had lost his friend. "Well, I think this calls for a celebration! How about you and me go to a fancy restaurant tonight?"

She could hear his cheeky grin through the phone. "You sure recover quickly," Sam mumbled. "I can't do tonight, how about Friday?" She wouldn't outright say no to the guy. He was attractive and she would at least give him a shot.

Owen grinned, she hadn't said no. Although Friday was five days from now. "It's a date! Now if you'd excuse me, I have a very distraught crew to comfort." And then he hung up.

Sam walked back into Wu's office to see him holding the two samples up to his face. He had properly disposed of the other samples, now only Owen's and Blue's blood remained. "We'll have to wait for tonight to start the tests," Wu said. He broke his gaze from the samples to look at Sam. "Is something wrong?"

"He asked me out," Sam said.

Wu chuckled, "How did you get out of that one?"

"I didn't. Err… I said yes," Sam shrugged sheepishly.

Wu just about dropped the samples in surprise, "What? We have work to do tonight! You couldn't have lied and said you were already seeing someone?" He didn't really need Sam's help, but he enjoyed her company. And he would admit that she sped the process along.

"I know that, I told him Friday."

"Well it's really none of my concern, but don't you think that this might me a bad idea? I mean, we are basically fusing his DNA with a Raptor's, without his permission and illegally, mind you."

"I thought you said ethics and laws don't concern you?"

"Yes, but they concern _you_. You may want to think hard about how you really feel about him, because when he finds out, he will be angry."

Sam thought hard for a moment. She steeled her heart and said, "It doesn't matter to me. It'll probably just be a one-time thing." Wu nodded and they went back to work.

XXX

 **Hope you all enjoyed this one. It's a little back and forth, but it works out well. Heh, Blue is afraid of needles. I do wonder though, what is Sam's second condition? Stay tuned to find out!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 – Patriarch:

Author's Note:

 **It completely slipped my mind last chapter to introduce my OC, Samantha Bell (Sam for short). She's currently an apprentice for Dr. Wu but hopes to one day take a real geneticist position at Jurassic World. If you would like to know more about her, i.e.: a character description, then all you have to do is ask. Anyways, please enjoy the story.**

XXX

Three days have passed. Sam and Wu have been working on the human-Raptor hybrid diligently. Wu had promised Sam that he would not attempt to fuse Owen with the new DNA until he was sure it was going to work. Multiple attempts have been made, but the actual result remains theoretical. The genes are splicing nicely, but the affects Wu wishes to achieve aren't coming through.

Neither Sam nor Wu have slept at all. Wu was used to working for days straight, but Sam had always made an attempt to never go more than a day without sleep. Dark circles have begun to form under her eyes. Wu insisted that she take a day off to rest, but she refused. She is as committed as he is.

Wu leaned back in his chair in frustration. This challenge was definitely worthy. Nothing has ever been this difficult for him before. "I just don't understand why we can't get certain traits to appear," Wu grumbled. He sifted through the hundreds of papers that he had written on in the past three days. It was all theory crafting and notes on what was and what wasn't working. Although nothing has actually worked yet.

Sam looked up from one of the papers she was studying. She had just realized that she had been staring at the paper, dead-eyed, for the past ten minutes. "Perhaps it's time to accept that this is impossible," she said. She yawned, "Maybe if we stop now, we won't get arrested."

"No, Sam, this is possible. It all works out and the genes are splicing just fine," Wu argued. Perhaps the lack of sleep was getting to him as well.

"Only in theory," Sam reminded him. She picked up a different piece of paper and hoped that she won't zone out on this one too.

"I know, I've just never done this before."

Sam yawned again, "And even so, how do you expect this all to work? Are you just going to inject Owen with the supplemented blood and expect his body to accept it? I doubt that will work."

"One problem at a time, please," Wu moaned. He continued sifting through his papers, there had to be something he missed. There has to be a combination that he hasn't tried yet.

Suddenly, Sam lit up with an idea. "You _have_ done this before, remember? You said that the Indominus had human DNA!"

"You're right, but that's different. I used human DNA to stabilize her, it was only a tiny amount."

"I know, but what if this just needs something to help it stabilize? I mean, everything is splicing together correctly, but what if we can't get the traits we want because it isn't stable enough… or something?" Sam said. She had tossed the papers that she was holding onto Wu's desk, some scattered onto the floor.

"That could work. T-Rex and Raptor DNA aren't actually that compatible but I was able to supplement that by adding more DNA, then stabilize it with human DNA. What if I just need another sample," Wu mused aloud. Sam mentally cheered for having her idea accepted. "But what will work?"

Sam thought for a minute, "What about T-Rex? Or Spinosaurus?"

Wu shook his head, "No those won't work. It'll have to be compatible with both humans and Raptors… Rex isn't compatible with humans and Spino isn't compatible with Raptors."

Sam shook her head vigorously, trying to clear it, "I'm going to go and get some coffee, do you want any?" Wu shook his head and she proceeded out of his office. It was late at night, so no one else was present in the lab. She only actually got a few feet from Wu's office before another idea hit her.

She all but ran back into his office and shouted, "What about the Indominus!" She grinned crazily, the lack of sleep was really starting to affect her.

"Why would that work? I mean she has both human and Raptor DNA, but there are so many others," Wu said. He crossed his arms.

"What if you isolate the Raptor and human components and then use that as a model to build our human-Raptor hybrid."

"That could work, but only theoretically. I'm not sure if we can isolate just human and Raptor, there's so many different signatures in her, it could be impossible."

"Well, we'd need a sample to find out." Sam wasn't willing to give up just yet.

"That's the thing, I doubt that the Indominus will just roll over and let me take a sample from her," Wu said, gritting his teeth.

"Or are you just scared of her?" Sam smiled tauntingly. She normally wouldn't dare taunt Wu, but she thought he was just being a baby. She was able to get the Raptor samples so he should be able to get the Indominus sample. She had never seen the Indominus before, so she had no idea how much worse than the Raptors she could be.

"Rightfully so! You've never even looked at the Indominus, she's terrifying. And not to mention cruel… and she probably doesn't care for me very much," Wu sighed.

"Why would that be?"

"The DNA that I used to stabilize her was my own," he admitted. It was a secret that he thought he would take to the grave. The Indominus Rex is technically his daughter.

"Woah, that makes her, like, your daughter or something." Sam thought for a minute, "But you abandoned her, didn't you? She's probably super pissed."

"Exactly. But I wonder if she actually remembers me."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, you'll have to go to her. Oh, and while you're there, be a lamb and get a DNA sample, will you?" Sam smirked at Wu's expression of disgust. Well he has nothing better to do, so he left the safety of his lab and drove to the Indominus paddock.

XXX

Wu paced nervously outside of the paddock. _Why is this bothering me so much? There's almost no chance she'll remember me,_ he thought. Why was he afraid of her anger? _Perhaps it is because you know her behavior is directly your fault,_ a small voice in his head claimed. It was all his fault. If he had recognized InGen's inability to take care of their animals, Wu could have given the Indominus to someone who would have treated her right.

But he didn't. Wu wasn't afraid of her anger, she was going to be mad anyways. He was afraid of his own failure. This dinosaur is the closest thing he has to a daughter… and he failed to give her a good life. Now she is trapped in a small enclosure and hated by many of the staff. She'll never see the real world because she cannot be trusted. She was born alone and she'll die alone… and it was all Wu's fault.

Wu took a deep breath and entered the paddock's viewing room. The room was quite spacious, it could hold several dozen people comfortably. The windows were big, but the enclosure seemed so small for a beast fifty feet long. He could see the portion of the window where the Indominus tried to break the glass.

Wu realized that he actually knew very little about his creation. He knew that she was fifty feet long and white, he knew that she could camouflage and that she could hide her heat signature. But he didn't know anything _about_ her. How does she behave around guests? Does she just hide in the bushes or does she poke out and terrify them?

Loud stomps herald her arrival. She burst from the bushes to gaze at him. She had been observing him since he walked into the room, but something was off about him. It wasn't just the fact that she could smell fear, she thought that she recognized him. So she needed a closer look.

Wu stepped back in surprise as the Indominus pressed her face into the glass. Crimson eyes regarded him for a moment before narrowing. _She recognizes me!_ Wu realized. The Indominus reared back and let out a livid **ROAR!**

 _This is father! What is he doing here?_ the Indominus thought. She snapped her jaws together, trying to contain her rage. She knew that she couldn't break the glass, but she wanted so desperately to grab a hold of him. She was torn between tearing him apart for abandoning her or grabbing hold and never letting go.

"She doesn't like you very much," a voice said, causing Wu to jump. He spun around to see a man in his early thirties wearing a lab coat. This must be her handler.

"Who are you?" Wu asked.

The man raised an eyebrow, "You are the one responsible for creating her and you don't know anything about her? I am Dr. Gordon Freeman, I am her current handler."

"Doctor?"

"I have doctorates in psychology and animal behavior, I am the only one qualified to take care of the Indominus," he scratched the back of his neck. "I've gotten pretty good at reading her, but she hasn't made any progress."

"Progress?" Wu asked.

"I am supposed to be rehabilitating her, but she isn't cooperating." The Indominus let out a smug snort, to which Freeman responded with, "She knows that she will get a better life after rehabilitation, but she is so stubborn."

"Well… I came for a blood sample," Wu said.

"Not to finally meet the only creation of yours that understands that you created her? Well, have fun taking a sample from her," Freeman said, waving him away. He would be no help to the man who refused to acknowledge his own daughter.

Wu turned to the Indominus, "Look, I'm sorry about how they raised you, but I know that you are smarter than this. If you are refusing to be cooperative then it is your fault that you are stuck here, not mine. Now, please give your father a blood sample." Wu held up the empty needle he had brought.

The Indominus growled something causing Freeman to cut in, "I think she said that you had lost the right to call yourself father after her sister died. Wow, that's harsh."

"That's your problem, not mine. I had to put human DNA into you in order for you to _even exist_! If you do not wish to call me father, then you can call me God," Wu addressed the Indominus.

Freeman decided to put in his two cents, "I don't think you're going to get your sample. She's just too aggressive, and it takes a lot of tranquilizers to put her down. Unless she just rolls over for you…" the Indominus interrupted him with a low croon. Freeman looked at her incredulously, "Or maybe she will give it to you."

"Oh, that's a relief," Wu sighed.

But the Indominus started to make weird gestures with her hands. "She has a condition, though," Freeman translated.

"What is it?" Wu asked.

The Indominus pointed at Wu and then at herself. She did this several times. "I think she wants you to prove to her that you are worthy of being called a God… I think she wants you to go into the paddock and take the sample by force," Freeman translated.

"Are you sure that's what she said?" Wu asked, hopefully.

The Indominus nodded her head, "Yes. I don't think that this is a good idea. I don't think that having a DNA sample of her is important. I think that you should…." the Indominus interrupted him again with an agitated snap of her jaws. "Or maybe she wants you to decide what to do."

"Her DNA sample is imperative," Wu said. He turned around to walk away, "But I'm not stupid enough to go in there."

The Indominus let out a loud roar, "She called you a coward," Freeman said.

"That may be true," Wu said. He removed his lab coat and handed it to Freeman, "But I do really need that sample… I won't be a coward this one time." He must be insane, he entered the paddock. The only thing he brought with him was the empty needle.

The Indominus growled loudly as she approached him. Wu broke into a mad dash to get under her. If he could outmaneuver her, he might be able to find a vein in her leg. But it was not to be, the Indominus brought down one massive hand and pinned him to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him as the deadly claws were held dangerously close to his head. The Indominus roared in victory, but Wu wasn't done yet.

He kicked and struggled but to no avail. The Indominus' hand wasn't budging. But Wu didn't give up, he couldn't give up. The Indominus lowered her head to Wu's level to glare at him. "I know that to you it doesn't mean anything, but I _am_ sorry. You deserve a much better life than this… but all you have to do is let Dr. Freeman help you."

The Indominus continued to glower at him before letting out a garbled sigh. She lifted Wu up to her chest and held him there. The Indominus was giving Wu a hug. _Father,_ she crooned. Wu started to relax, she wasn't going to hurt him.

She lifted him up slightly higher so he could plunge the needle into her neck. She didn't even flinch as blood was drawn from her. She watched intently as he reentered the viewing room. "Why did she let me up?" Wu asked.

"I think she knows that you aren't to blame. I don't know…" he was interrupted as the Indominus tapped the glass and pointed at Wu. She then pointed at the ground, "I think she wants you to come and visit her more often."

"Oh, so she isn't mad at me anymore?"

"Perhaps… but if you could come by every now and then, that would actually be helpful. One of the first steps to recovery is forgiveness, if she is willing to forgive you then you need to make the commitment to help her. All she really needs is a parental figure, and I certainly cannot do it," Freeman shrugged.

Wu thought for a minute. He was an exceptionally busy man, which was why he never visited any of his creations before. With the new project he was working on, he may never have time for the Indominus. But… this project could very well be his last. "I just don't want to disappoint her. If I start showing up and then… something else comes up and I don't see her for a very long time, then what kind of damage are we looking at?"

Freeman frowned, "The damage would be irreversible. But, she won't make any recovery without you. Why don't you come to one of her shows, I'm not asking you to make a commitment, just make an effort." Wu nodded and left the viewing room, crimson eyes watching the entire way.

The Indominus growled at Dr. Freeman, "I'm not telling you… you'll just have to wait and see." He smirked as she rumbled in discontent. "Don't be like that, I know that you love a good surprise."

She let out an odd croon before walking off into the brush. Freeman readjusted his glasses, "I doubt that he could help you anyways."

XXX

Wu and Sam began to analyze the DNA immediately. "Hey, I thought of a way you could get this to work," Sam commented as the analysis finished. Wu looked at her intently for the answer to his next problem, "What if you designed it like a virus instead. That way his blood doesn't have to accept it."

Wu typed a few things into his computer, "If I design it like a virus then his body could fight it off… and it could become contagious. We don't want that." It would be a thousand times worse if multiple people started to contract a strange dinosaur disease. Not only would he be put in prison, but Jurassic World would be shut down permanently.

"Then just don't make it contagious," Sam said. She sat down at a separate computer and began typing in a new sequence. "His body won't have any resistance to a foreign disease. He'll be infected no problem."

Wu grimaced as the he managed to isolate the Raptor and human DNA in the Indominus. "Well, you were right, I was able to pull apart the Indominus DNA and we should be able to make a model from this," Wu glared at her snarky smirk.

"Oh, look at this! The virus model fits perfectly," Sam turned her computer screen around to show Wu.

"Alright, it's decided. We'll set it up like a virus, and then we'll have it injected into him… how are we going to get him here without raising suspicion?" Wu said. He made a few adjustments to his model to reflect Sam's. Now all they had to do was actually splice the DNA and prepare it for injection.

"It depends, when will this be ready?"

"This will all be ready to go in a few hours."

"I'll get it injected into him. Don't forget about my second condition…" Sam said, rubbing her arm nervously.

Wu gritted his teeth, "I haven't forgotten, I just wanted to give you a chance to change your mind." Sam shook her head. "Well, in that case… I would like to go ahead and give you this." Wu pulled a few slips of paper from his desk and handed them to her, "I wanted to give these to you after the experiment was finished, but after all the work you put in for this I'm giving it to you early."

Sam took a single look at the papers and dropped them, "Are you sure? This is a big deal." She crouched down and picked up the scattered papers.

"You've earned it. Although I know your dissertation won't come in until next month, I just want you to be rewarded. You've done more work on this project that I have, and without you, I would still be sitting here trying to figure out why I couldn't get the fusion to show the traits I wanted," Wu said, patting her on the back. Wu rarely gave out praise, but Sam had gone above and beyond his expectations.

"I don't want to accept this if I'm just going to be going to prison," Sam chuckled weakly.

"You won't be. If we get caught, the only one going to jail will be me. I have no doubt that you will be able to fill my shoes and do a better job than I ever could. So, what do you say?"

A look of determination crossed Sam's face, "I accept. Now, let's get down to my second condition and get this injected into Owen." Wu smiled and the two began the complex process of spicing the DNAs. Sam had been officially offered a position as a Jurassic World geneticist, and now she was going to inject an illegal substance into Owen's bloodstream.

XXX

 **So what do you all think? We still don't know exactly what Sam's second condition is, but you'll find out soon! I would just like to take a moment to talk about Dr. Freeman. No, he is not based on the Gordon Freeman from Half-Life (I had actually gotten the name from a random name generator and I just went with it, not thinking about how their names are the same). He is a psychologist and an animal behaviorist (like Owen) and is the only one capable of understanding the Indominus. If you want a character description, just ask. Don't worry your little hearts about the Indominus either, she'll be making another appearance. So Sam has gotten an official job, how exciting is that? Stay tuned to find out what happens next.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3 - Ambush:

Author's Note:

 **I would just like to ask one thing of everyone who's reading this fanfiction. It's not much, but before you finish this chapter, I'd like to see if any of you have guessed what Sam's second condition was. I'd just like to know if I've made it too obvious for you all (not that I'm doubting your intelligences). Thank you very much.**

XXX

Owen was a simple man. He liked simple things, and as such, his abode was very simple. He lived in a three room bungalow, complete with a kitchen/living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Although he had a bed, and it was a comfortable bed, he preferred to sleep outside when the weather was nice. And it was beautiful tonight.

One of the advantages of not living in a heavily populated area was that there was not only little air and water pollution, but also little light pollution. With the big boss Rexy demanding that the speakers and all of the lights be off by 9pm, it became dark very quickly. And that allowed Owen to see the stars.

Owen owned a rather comfortable hammock that he liked to sleep in. He would lie back and just look at the night sky. It was a simple pleasure for a simple man. He could find several of the constellations, both of the dippers and Orion's belt. There was a new moon out, which only served to reduce even more light. With the extra darkness, he could see the arms of the Milky Way galaxy.

Over the sounds of the bugs, Owen could hear the distant roars of the dinosaurs. The herbivores always chimed in first. Although they were the farthest away from Owen, their combined voices could rival even Rexy's. The smaller carnivores, like the Suchomimus and the Baryonyx could be heard next. They were like giant crocodiles and their roars reflected that.

The new arrival, the Spinosaurus, was heard next. His roar sounded nothing like his smaller cousins, it was loud and powerful and challenged all who stood before him. Owen wondered about that Spinosaurus. Owen was aware of what a Spino was supposed to look like, and this one looked nothing like a regular Spino. Whoever designed him must have been operating on a lot of guess work. He looked more like an Oxalaia.

The next roar that sounded Owen knew too well. It was like a massive plane just took off overhead and then was silenced as quickly as it came. That was the Indominus' roar. She was not only the largest carnivore on the island, but also the loudest. Her roar was shrill, not anything like the other two large carnivores on the island. Hers was demented and twisted, only underlining how wrong her creation was.

Last, but certainly not least, the big boss herself chimed in. Her earth-shaking roar could be heard all throughout the island. It commanded not only power, but also respect. While the Indominus' roar pierced the heavens, Rexy's roar silenced all. The world always seemed to freeze after her nightly roar. The insects stopped buzzing and the birds stopped chirping and all of the dinosaurs seemed to take a minute of silence to pay homage to the queen of Isla Nublar.

During that silence Owen began to think. Despite many first impressions, Owen did have a brain. He was one of the few who instantly recognized the threat the Indominus posed and knew exactly how to deal with it. He thought of random, trivial things, but they were important to him. Questions that constantly danced in his mind, he has basically cheated death when he was able to escape the Indominus, and it always bothered him. That he was allowed to roam free while she remained incarcerated. Not to mention the many unlucky who had met their fate by her jaws.

Inevitably, the bugs began to buzz again, birds began to chirp, and an owl hooted. The moment of silence had ended and so had Owen's time to think. He was a busy man, having to wake up every day at seven meant that he usually fell asleep earlier. But tonight had been so beautiful that he stayed up well past midnight. He began to drift off to the sounds of the jungle, he could even hear his Raptors chittering in the distance.

He startled awake and sat up quickly. The Raptor sounded much too close to be coming from their paddock. It sounded as if they were right by his home. He looked around, hoping to not see any of his Raptors. If one or, God help him, more of his Raptors managed to get out then Jurassic World was going to have another incident.

He growled when he saw a Raptor not ten meters away from him. She was just _staring_ at him, as if she was waiting for him to wake up. It was Blue! How did she get out? There was so much protocol in place to prevent the Raptors from ever leaving, something bad must have happened. Owen's thoughts immediately drifted towards Barry and his other assistants. They must be in critical condition or worse, dead, if Blue was out.

But, on closer inspection, this Raptor was too light skinned to be Blue. This one's scales were a silvery-blue instead of the darker gray Owen was familiar with. Not to mention she lacked the blue stripe down both of her sides that Blue had, instead she had black stripes running down her spine. None of his Raptors are this light… who is this Raptor?

The Raptor seemed to notice that he was awake and cocked her head at him. Owen slowly rose from his seated position, any sudden movements would set the Raptor off. He cursed himself for leaving his rife inside, he had no weapons at his disposal. "Easy girl, I'm not gonna hurt you," Owen said, extending a bare hand. There was no way he could get inside to grab his rifle, he would have to talk this Raptor down.

The Raptor took a single step towards him. And then another. Now that the Raptor was slowly approaching him, Owen took note of her size. She was huge, taller than he was. All of his Raptors were an inch or so shorter than him, but this one was much taller than him. Owen kept his hand extended as the Raptor approached, he didn't move. He noticed that she was clutching something in her claws, he couldn't tell what, but it was held tightly against her chest.

The Raptor stopped directly in front of him. Her nostrils flared, breathing in his scent and blowing the air back out harshly on his face. He didn't flinch though, he knew that this was how Raptors communicated with new pack members. He did flinch when she let out a screech and head-butted him. He tumbled backwards into his hammock, tearing it from the trees it was attached to. She then grabbed ahold of his foot and began to drag him away.

Owen started to panic and he actually screamed. Was this a nightmare? It seemed like a nightmare. A Raptor finding you while you slept and then dragging you off to devour you? That's like the plot of a horror movie. But Owen wasn't going to go down without a fight. His hands scraped the ground as he was dragged further and further away from his bungalow. Finally, he managed to grab ahold of something.

It was a rock. He lifted the rock and hit the Raptor as hard as he could across the face. The Raptor shrieked and let go of him. He immediately got up and began to run back to his home to grab his rifle. But it was hopeless, the Raptor recovered faster than Owen could run. She shook her head clear of the ringing and pursued Owen back to his home, intercepting him before he reached the front door.

She tackled him to the ground, wrestling with him as he worked his way onto his stomach. That way he could at least face his death. The Raptor regarded him with ruby red eyes as he struggled to free himself. He managed to see exactly what she was holding onto so tightly. It was a needle filled with an odd purple-red liquid. In his confusion, Owen stopped struggling. That was the opening she needed. She bashed his forehead with her own again. This time Owen saw pitch black. And he was silent.

XXX

His vision was bleary as he slowly opened his eyes. He tried to concentrate harder, still nothing. He brought his hands up to rub his eyes, but to no avail. For some reason he couldn't find his eyes, they were no longer where they were supposed to be. It was as if his face became longer, he kept rubbing his jaws. His vision snapped back into place when he accidently clawed himself.

 _Clawed myself?_ he thought. He bolted up right, trying to figure out what happened. Memories began to flood back into him. He remembered the massive Raptor that knocked him unconscious, but after that, nothing. He looked around. He was in a small arena like area, but not alone. No, there was a single cow in the paddock with him. Although the ground was a hard concrete, it seemed to be eating something.

He looked down at his hands. Sure enough, they were tipped with talons. He couldn't quite make the connection, but he was sure that this was wrong. Suddenly, an urge surged over him, _hungry. Must feed_. It was primitive, but he couldn't remember ever thinking any different.

He looked around again, trying to find his pack. The only other animal in the room was the bovine, but he was unsure if he could bring it down alone. He didn't remember interacting with any other Raptors like his instincts said he should have… but he did remember knowing four Raptors. He was their alpha, but they weren't here right now. He would have to hunt this animal by himself.

He stalked up on it quietly. He cursed the lack of cover, but the animal didn't seem to regard him. It was too busy eating. With a massive leap, he landed on the animal's back. Its reaction was delayed, but it started bucking and hopping around, hoping to dislodge the predator on its vulnerable back. He dug his claws into its hide and held on, all the while tearing at it with his large sickle claw.

It was an extremely effective tactic, the animal let out a moan of pain and fell over. He managed to avoid being crushed by jumping off at the right time. With his large claw, he tore the animal's stomach open. Then he dug in. Somewhere deep within him told him to end the animal's suffering, but his instincts demanded that he start to eat as soon as possible. Who knows when he'll get another meal?

He ate his fill, he felt as if he should save some for the rest of the pack, wherever they may be. The animal had died not that long ago. He began to groom himself, cleaning the blood off of his talons. He would have liked to wash his muzzle in some water, but he saw none. He noted that his talons were black.

The ground suddenly begun to shake causing a startled chirp to tear from his throat. He looked around for the assailant, but saw nothing. Except for a strange contraption rise from the ground. He approached it cautiously, it was not natural. It reeked of a scent that he recognized, but couldn't place. The contraption was concave and held… water! He could wash the annoying blood from his jaws.

Why wasn't the blood leaving him? He kept dunking his head in the unnatural puddle and even scrubbing himself, carefully avoiding clawing himself again, but he was still red. Upon closer inspection, he noted his entire body was red. Had he splattered blood all over himself? He didn't remember doing that. Perhaps he has sustained more brain damage than he thought.

 _Ah, that's it,_ he realized. He _had_ cleaned the blood from himself. His scales were actually blood-red. He narrowed his bright blue eyes, how did he ever survive in the wild with such bright and noticeable scales. _Well this prey was taken down easily,_ he reasoned.

He blinked as he continued to observe his reflection. Something still seemed wrong. He recognized his sleek form as his own, but it just… _didn't seem right._ He could recognize himself, but it was almost as if he was meant to be in a different form. _Whatever, I like this form,_ he thought.

He heard a new sound. Something creaked and moved. It was the wall itself! A small section of the wall fell away to reveal two figures. One of them stood straight up and his instincts screamed _danger_. The other… was the Raptor from before. She approached him without fear while the other one waited by the opening holding something odd. _"Hello,"_ the silvery-blue Raptor greeted.

 _"_ _Hello,"_ he responded. He leaned in to get a closer look at the new arrival. Although he remembered this Raptor, he didn't remember anything about her. He took in the Raptor's scent, it was pleasant and sweet. Female. _"Do you know where I am?"_

 _"_ _You don't remember?"_ she chirped in confusion.

 _"_ _I remember you attacking me,"_ he growled. That's why he didn't know her scent, he was too busy trying not to die. He bunched his muscles, but hesitated when he realized how much _larger_ she was than him.

 _"_ _And I apologize for that, but do you not remember who you are?"_

 _"_ _I am the alpha of my pack. I don't see any of them here, do you think that you could help me find them? I might let you join if you help."_

She looked at him and shook her head. He was hurt for a moment but took a step back when she made a loud call. He recognized that one, a danger call. He became confused for a moment, but understood instantly once he saw the upright being point the thing he was carrying at her. He reacted without thinking and tried to shove her out of the way.

But it wasn't necessary. The being wasn't aiming at her, he was aiming at him. He was hit in his chest, dead center. Anger consumed him before his eyes began to droop. He wavered slightly before collapsing on the ground. As his brain began to shut down he realized what was wrong. He remembered his name in his last waking minutes. He was Owen Grady… and he has somehow became a Raptor.

XXX

Owen snapped his eyes open. That was a weird dream. He took a good look at his hands. Normal human hands. He rushed to his bathroom to look at his mirror. Normal human face. That was an extremely vivid dream, he had become a Raptor. He took a step out of his bathroom but faltered. His leg hurt.

Why did his leg hurt? He didn't realize the pain in his panic, but now that he had calmed down, his led ached terribly. He limped to his kitchen to try and find some pain killers. He took three for good measure. He sat down as he waited for the drugs to take affect and tried to recall his dream. He remembered lying on his hammock last night, being attacked by a Raptor that he didn't recognize, and then everything went fuzzy. He could clearly remember being a Raptor, but he didn't remember what he did as a Raptor.

He knew that ninety percent of dreams are forgotten after ten minutes of being awake, so he didn't think anything of forgetting. He stripped his pants off to take a look at the damages. There were no bite marks, but it felt as if something had pulled his leg too hard. He didn't think much of it as he limped back towards his bedroom to get dressed for the day. He decided to skip today's shower.

When he reached for his work boots, he noticed something was wrong. One of his boots was still in pristine condition… the other had large teeth marks on it. They looked like Raptor teeth! That means that he didn't dream that Raptor attack. That put him on high alert. Why was he still alive? Why did he dream he was a Raptor? He slipped on an older pair of boots and grabbed his rifle. He knew one thing for sure, there was a loose Raptor and it could still be near his home.

He cautiously limped his way to his motorcycle. No signs of the rogue Raptor. It must have run off. He drove especially quickly towards the Raptor paddock. If there was a rogue Raptor on the loose, it could attempt to communicate and free his girls. Which would be disastrous. He tossed his motorcycle aside once he reached the paddock and hobbled as fast as he could to the paddock itself. "Barry! Barry!" he called out.

"What? Is something wrong?" Barry responded to his calls, poking around the side of the paddock. He snickered suddenly, "Arthritis riling you up, old man?" Several of the other assistants laughed.

"Ha, ha, this is serious… are the girls still in their paddock?" Owen asked, skipping the ridicule and the comeback that he had.

Barry took note of his tone, "Well, course they are. They're actually pretty agitated, you know that you are an hour late, right?"

"Oh God!" Owen panicked and began to rush towards the walkway.

He was stopped by Barry, who put his hands on Owen's shoulders, "Are you alright? What happened?" He looked concerned.

"I don't even know…" Owen started before pausing. He looked around and saw Hoskins staring intently at him. "Actually, could we talk in private?" Barry only nodded and supported him as they walked to Owen's private office. Owen leaned heavily on Barry, although his leg didn't hurt, he couldn't put any weight on it without it buckling.

"I see that you are rocking an old pair of boots," Barry noted as he sat Owen down in his chair. Barry remained standing.

"Don't ever say 'rocking' again, please," Owen moaned.

Barry smirked, he was still getting used to American slang, "Duly noted. So what happened?"

"Do we have any Raptors unaccounted for?" Owen asked. When Barry shook his head, he continued, "Well I was attacked by one last night. Tore my boots up real good and did this to my leg."

"Oh my, that's not good. We have to put the park on high alert!" Barry started to panic, "But I don't understand, there's only four Raptors on this island."

Owen held up his hand, "I know. The Raptor knocked me out, but as you can see, I am still alive." Owen decided to skip the part about his weird dream.

"That's strange."

"Exactly. I think that I might have dreamed it up, but that wouldn't exactly take into account my injury. I'm just telling you to keep a sharp eye out for a silvery-blue Raptor that may or may not exist. Don't alert anyone, we don't need unnecessary panic over something that might not exist."

"If you say so. I'd go and get your leg checked out by a doctor… but you may want to see a psychologist about your dream, Owen, neither I nor a doctor can help you there," Barry said. "Is that it?"

"Especially don't tell Hoskins, he'll flip and think that this is the 'field test' our Raptors need. Just keep this on the down low, and help me get back to the paddock. How mad are the girls?"

"Very," was all Barry said. He pulled Owen up from his chair and helped him out of the office. They explained that he had a minor hammock related accident last night. Nothing serious, but he was going to see a doctor after the pig run. They did not mention the psychologist.

Owen could hear his girls inside of the paddock growling at him. He snorted to himself, they were definitely not happy. _"He's late, why is alpha late?"_ a strange voice said. Owen looked around trying to find who said that.

 _"_ _Alpha doesn't care for us, he abandoned us,"_ a different voice said. Owen looked at Barry to see if it was him trying to prank him. It wasn't, Barry only looked confused as to why Owen hadn't started yet.

 _"_ _Shut it, stupid alpha is here, we are going to hunt now,"_ yet another voice said. Owen was now starting to think that he had lost his mind. _I really need to see that psychologist, hearing voices cannot be good,_ he thought.

He decided to ignore the voices and begin the pig chase. He signaled to the guy at the controls to release the pig. He saw the pig dart across the open space, the Raptors hot on its trail. A chorus of, _"Kill, kill, kill,"_ could be heard from within the paddock.

Owen watched in dismay as Blue tackled the pig and ripped it apart. _"That will show stupid alpha,"_ Owen realized who had been speaking. It was Blue. Was he hearing the Raptors? He shook his head, but the others were still repeating, _"Stupid, stupid, stupid alpha."_

"Hey! You're supposed to chase the pig not kill it!" he decided to shout at the Raptors.

 _"_ _You late, we kill pig,"_ Blue said.

"God damn it Blue, I don't care if I'm late or not. We're not going to make any progress if you keep killing the pigs!" Owen shouted back.

Blue seemed to glare at Owen, _"Maybe if alpha was willing to make a commitment."_ Owen only shook his head. Something was definitely wrong. Maybe he was hallucinating, or maybe he was actually getting better at reading the Raptors. Either way, he should probably have his mental state be put into question.

Owen descended the walkway and was met by Barry. "They just don't want to cooperate with me."

"Hoskins at three o'clock," Barry warned.

Hoskins marched up to Owen and began to speak, "That was the most pathetic display I've ever seen. Why were you late today? The Raptors are clearly agitated." He was still upset about their argument the other day.

"Maybe you'd like to try and give them commands, they'd probably eat you alive," Owen shot back.

"Why were you late?" Hoskins repeated, noticing that Owen was dodging the question.

"Like I said, I was injured," Owen gestured to his leg. Hoskins narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything else. Owen limped over to his fallen motorcycle and mounted it.

"Where are you going?" Barry asked. He didn't think that it was a good idea for Owen to drive. That and he should probably stay, lest the Raptors become even more upset.

"I'm going to get my head checked," Owen claimed as he revved the engine and sped off. He didn't miss the threat from Blue as he left, _"Alpha better be here for next hunt, or I'll throw prey at him."_ Owen wasn't sure why he was hallucinating Blue speaking to him… but this had Wu written all over it.

XXX

 **Here's yet another installment. Owen's finally been "infected." It's like lycanthropy. Anyways, next chapter we'll be exploring some of Owen's… changes. And of course, there's still that mysterious Raptor. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4 - Nameless:

XXX

Owen hung up for the third time. He was standing outside of Wu's office, but the man wasn't there. Where could he be? Owen had gotten Wu's number from one of his employees. But Wu's phone seemed to be off. And no one knew where he was. They seemed to be surprised that he was gone, as if he had never left the lab before.

"What are you doing here?" someone said, tapping his shoulder. After what he decided to deem the Raptor incident, he had become very jumpy. Whoever had snuck up on him caused him to jump into the air in surprise.

"Sam?" Owen said. What was she doing here? "Are you looking for Dr. Wu too?"

"Yeah, he just sort of disappeared," Sam said, throwing her hands up into the air.

Owen took note of her new lab coat, "I see they finally found a lab coat in your size." Sam only snorted in response.

"Is something wrong with your leg?" Sam asked, noticing how Owen was favoring one of his legs. He shook his head quickly and tried to put more weight onto his injured leg in order to not appear weak in front of her. He winced when his leg couldn't take the added weight… he nodded his head in defeat. "I can take a look at that if you want."

"I thought you are an animal doctor?" Owen asked skeptically.

Sam laughed, "Doesn't mean I don't know how to treat a person." She allowed Owen to lean on her as they left the lab. She didn't dare go into the vet building and pretend to be a veterinarian. She instead led him outside and lied him down on a bench.

She rolled up one of his pant legs and began to examine his injury. "What happened?" she asked. She pressed onto his ankle causing him to hiss.

"I… uh… tripped and fell over my hammock," he admitted. Thought he was lying, it still hurt his ego to say he had tripped.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Uh huh. Well, you've got yourself a sprained ankle, nothing too serious. I'd just take it easy for a few days."

"Alright then… um, you work with Dr. Wu occasionally, right?"

"I pop in every now and then," she lied. She had a feeling she knew what he was about to ask.

"I would have asked Wu, but he isn't here, and none of the other geneticists are really in the loop, apparently, so I just thought, you know, if she's in there talking to Wu every now and then, she might have seen something…" Owen began to ramble on. Sam was listening intently. "So, I was wondering… if you happen to know if Wu has hatched any other Raptors besides my own recently."

Sam froze momentarily, before laughing again, "I don't think so. I was under the impression that the Raptors were extremely dangerous, so having one running around would be very bad! Why do you ask?" She snickered slightly, "Don't tell me, you were attacked by a rogue Raptor."

Owen chuckled nervously. He wasn't sure what to think, he knew that Sam wasn't exactly the most reliable source, but there was physical evidence of another Raptor roaming around Jurassic World. At least he made her laugh, he liked her laugh. "No… just a weird dream. Um, speaking of weird dreams, you wouldn't happen to know any therapists or psychologists on this island, would you?"

"Why? When you bumped your head did you develop multiple personalities?" Sam chuckled. She was honestly enjoying herself, Owen was such an alpha male, and he needed a good ribbing every now and then.

"Err… I don't know how to answer that," Owen couldn't think of a good enough lie to tell her. He didn't think he could pull off insane.

"I was just kidding. I only know of one psychologist on the island, he's the Indominus caretaker," Sam said. She noticed the pained reaction go across his face, "Or you could just go and ask Claire, she'd know if there was anyone else on the island."

Owen flinched at the mention of Claire's name. It was no secret that they had a single date, which had been nicknamed "the disaster date" by the other employees. Owen may have vowed to never go near the Indominus paddock or the white beast again, but Claire was much worse. "I think I'll take my chances at the Indominus paddock," Owen mumbled.

They were silent for a moment. Owen was enjoying Sam's company when she said, "So have you decided where you're taking me?"

"Wha?" Owen said with a rather stupid expression.

"Our date, it's _tomorrow_ , don't tell me you've forgotten already!" Sam faked being offended. She had honestly just remembered herself.

 _Shit,_ Owen thought. He had forgotten. He had been so caught up in work and the weird dream from last night that he didn't even know where he was going to take her. But he managed to pull an answer out of his ass, "It's a surprise!"

Sam clapped her hands together, "I _love_ surprises. Can you give me a hint?" Their previous conversation had been forgotten in favor of Owen trying to dodge questions about their upcoming night out. And of course, him admitting that he had no idea what he was going to do.

XXX

Owen had finally managed to tear himself from his conversation with Sam after an hour. He really did like her, and not just for her looks. Which was weird, because that's usually how Owen decided on who to date. They had checked to see if Wu was back, he wasn't. Owen then left heading towards the Indominus paddock.

The drive was surreal. He remembered his trip there with Claire three years ago. He remembered how that day had turned out. He had almost died, he watched the Indominus kill and eat two people. Then, of course, it slaughtered half of ACU. He still struggled with the fact that he was alive and those people weren't.

He had hoped to never see the Indominus again. She was a terrifyingly intelligent beast. She had lured him into her paddock and mercilessly slaughtered the guard and an engineer. The worst part was the unknown. Wu still hasn't given out exactly what she is made of. They knew that she could camouflage and hide her heat signature, but what if there was something else that made her even more dangerous?

Owen pulled up to the paddock and limped his way up the stairs. They had made the walls thicker. Owen would admit that the way they treated her was cruel. She was alone most of her life and she had such a small space to live. She had no positive interactions of any kind, but that did not excuse her actions. She was never leaving this paddock.

People were flooding out of the viewing room, a show must have just ended. Hopefully that meant that the Indominus had become tired of human interaction. He waited a full minute before entering the viewing room. Inside were two people.

One was a new security guard. This one was in better shape than the last one. That way, if the Indominus tried to munch him he could probably outrun her. He was also paid to be more vigilant. Owen had taken a look at the extra security measures for the Indominus to help himself sleep at night. The guard performed thermal scans every hour, on the hour. There were three guards that swapped out shifts in order to perform these scans. And of course, there were more security cameras and even motion sensors. The Indominus couldn't even sneeze without the guard knowing.

The other man Owen assumed to be the psychologist. He wore a white lab coat and stood in front of the large window, staring at something. Owen didn't know much about this one, he had only been hired recently. After all of the other handlers had quit… or died. The man must have realized his presence. He turned around to greet him, "May I help you?"

"I hope so, my name is Owen Grady, I work with the Raptors," Owen said.

"Oh, the famous Raptor trainer. My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman," the man stuck out his hand. Owen accepted the greeting and gave it a firm shake. "Leave us," Freeman waved away the security guard. Now it was only them in the room, but Owen didn't forget that the Indominus was just outside.

"Are you any good at dream analysis?" Owen asked nervously.

"Freudian psychology is a mandatory course for all practicing psychology," Freeman explained. Noticing Owen's confused stare, "As in yes, Mr. Grady."

"Owen, please. I was wondering if you have anything like doctor patient confidentiality."

"Of course," Freeman led Owen to the chair that the guard had been sitting in. Freeman disappeared into a closet before reappearing with another chair. "Now, please begin."

Owen began to recount his strange dream. He told Freeman everything, the Raptor attack, the fact that he had thought he had become a Raptor, and then the strange hallucinations of him hearing his Raptors. Owen wasn't concerned with making Freeman paranoid about a loose Raptor, the man dealt with the Indominus, a thousand times worse than any one Raptor. Even Blue.

"I see," Freeman muttered. He had pulled out a piece of paper and had written down several things. "Well, normally I would say that your job as a Raptor tamer is getting to you… but you have been doing this for several years. Unless something traumatic happened recently, I wouldn't put my bet on unconscious fears surfacing during dreams."

"Nothing has happened recently, I mean except for the dreams. And no, before you ask, I've never dreamt anything like this before," Owen sighed. He wondered briefly if Dr. Freeman would actually be able to help him.

"I see… let's talk about your limp. I noticed that you were limping earlier, how did that happen?"

Owen paused. He had been lying that he had suffered the injury by tripping over his hammock, should he tell the doctor the truth? "That's the reason I came today. The Raptor that attacked me pulled on my leg rather hard and now my ankle is sprained."

Freeman paused, "A psychosomatic injury? Err, an injury that's caused by the mind and not the body?" he clarified. Now he was really interested. His expertise was traumatic events, not really dream analysis. So Owen's psychosomatic injury was right up his alley.

"See, I thought that too except that I went to see a doctor. She said that my ankle was actually sprained, which only confused me more. When I woke up after the dream I saw that one of my boots had bite marks on it… from a Raptor."

Freeman wiped his hands down his face, "Well that only leaves two possibilities, one: you were attacked by your Raptors and have been repressing it, or two: you were _actually attacked by a rogue Raptor._ " Owen stiffened as Freeman spoke. "Unfortunately, both possibilities seem highly unlikely."

"There's no way there can be a rogue Raptor on this island."

"Have you spoken to Dr. Wu? If there _is_ a loose Raptor, he'd know about it."

"I can't find Wu, no one knows where he is."

"That's rather suspicious, don't you think? In any case, I'd like to operate believing that there is in fact a loose Raptor."

"But she knocked me out! Why am I still alive then? No Raptor would let prey live after taking it down."

Freeman thought for a moment, "That's the bitch of it, isn't it? I would say that someone attacked you and your mind projected your assailant as a Raptor… but not if there is physical evidence of a Raptor attack."

"What if someone did attack me and they just planted the evidence?"

"You're the Raptor expert, could something other than a Raptor have made the teeth marks on your boot?" Owen was silent, "I thought as much. I'd like to move on, tell me again about the part where you turned into a Raptor."

Owen opened his mouth to retell the story, but he was interrupted by loud stomping. It was the Indominus. She pulled up to the glass and roared. _"Why if it isn't the whelp who escaped me! Come back to die, have you?"_ Freeman didn't flinch but Owen jumped to his feet. He winced when he landed. _"Hah! Look at him, he's injured. I can smell your fear, he really believes I can get him, doesn't he?"_ She seemed to be talking to Freeman, but he made no attempt to look like he understood her.

"I know that you can't get me, you overgrown lizard!" Owen growled at the Indominus while walking towards the glass. He had gotten lucky up until this point, but little did he know, the Indominus had been watching since he first walked in. The Indominus jerked towards him in shock, he understood her?

"You can understand her?" Freeman asked. To an average person, Owen's reaction would've seemed normal. But because he could understand her too, Freeman knew that Owen was actually answering the Indominus' question.

"I'm not sure, can I? I thought that I was hallucinating…" Owen admitted. How had Freeman figured out that he was hallucinating?

"Owen… I can understand her too. I know that she was talking to you."

"That's impossible, we're just hallucinating. Wait, you can understand her too?" Owen turned his back to the Indominus.

"To a minor degree, I don't always catch everything… Owen-" Freeman explained.

 _"_ _You smell even more like me than last time, why is that?"_ the Indominus asked, interrupting Freeman. While Blue's voice had been high and grating, the Indominus' was low, like a hiss.

Owen refused to address her, "This is just a hallucination." He crossed his arms and walked back to his seat.

 _"_ _Listen to me, you fool! I don't know why, but you smell more like me than normal. The first time we met, my scent hung around you like you had been near me before… but now my scent has become a part of yours. Why is that?"_ the Indominus growled. She had placed her claws on the glass and was dragging them down. The grating sound was unbearable to Owen, but Freeman seemed to be in only mild discomfort.

"I don't know," Owen said through clenched teeth.

Freeman shook his head, "Owen, I'm not sure if you have been dreaming at all."

Owen laughed, "Don't tell me that you think I've actually become a Raptor!" Owen watched for Freeman's reaction. He was silent, "So what happened? When the Raptor attacked me, did she turn me into a Raptor when she bit me? Like a werewolf!"

"As absurd as it may be, there's likely a logical explanation for this, but I can tell you one thing: you can absolutely understand Raptors." Freeman said.

"Logical explanation my ass! She's not a Raptor!" Owen pointed rudely at the Indominus.

"We still don't know what she's made of, it's possible she has Raptor in her," Freeman mumbled. Owen rapidly shook his head, refusing to believe him. Freeman grabbed ahold of Owen's shoulders and said, "Get ahold of yourself! I don't know why this is happened but I will find out… you just need to stay calm. And if you have any more "dreams" you need to come and tell me _immediately_."

 _"_ _I can help more than you can. Lucky human, if I can figure out why this has happened to you, will you give me a reward?"_ the Indominus asked. Owen noticed that she had politely let the two humans argue without interrupting.

"What makes you think you can help me?" Owen asked, finally turning around to look at her. She was huge, much bigger than he remembered. Her crimson eyes glared at him.

 _"_ _You cannot find father, I know father has the answers, I can get them from him to you, all you have to do is reward me,"_ the Indominus crooned. She looked at Owen expectantly.

"She means Wu," Freeman clarified.

"I thought as much," Owen muttered, "Fine, what do you want? I don't exactly have the authority to give you much…"

 _"_ _I want a_ _name_ , _"_ she hissed.

"A name? You're the Indominus Rex," Owen huffed. Giving a name to a monster would only make it appear less monstrous. He couldn't have that.

 _"_ _That's_ _what_ _I am, not_ _who_ _I am, I want a name,"_ the Indominus growled. Owen refused to budge, _"The wind has revealed to me a new scent, something big and old. It smells like a land I don't know and I can taste the sea on the scent. It… he, he, when he arrived not that long ago, I could smell the blood of your kind on his claws and jaws. And I would bet that_ _even he has a name!_ _"_

"His name is Dracul," Owen said. He had actually taken part in naming the Spinosaurus from Isla Sorna. Dracul as in dragon, for the green monster was much like a mythical dragon. Only he was real. But the Indominus did bring up a good point. "You didn't name her?" he asked Freeman.

"I don't have the right to name her. You managed to escape her, you are worthy enough to give her a fitting name," Freeman explained.

"I thought you were going to ask for freedom, but this is just as bad. I will not give you a name, you'll have to ask someone else," Owen crossed his arms again. He might have taken after Blue more than he had realized. Blue was extremely stubborn, giving a puff of air through her nose when she would not budge.

 _"_ _I wonder if I'll get to meet him, maybe we can compare the taste of different humans. Personally, I think that the first bite is always the worst. It's that useless second skin of yours, if tastes so disgusting... but after the second bite, the blood pours into your maw and with it, a blast of flavor. Divine flavor that I'm sure this Dracul would agree with. So if that monster gets a name, why don't I get one?"_ the Indominus roared. She was livid, all she wanted was a name, was that so much?

Owen only said, "I'll have to see if you can actually come up with anything. If I get to Wu first, you'll have nothing." Owen limped out of the viewing room without looking back.

 _"_ _He'll never be able to get anything out of father, only you can make him give up his secrets. Will you help me?"_ the Indominus asked Freeman.

"Of course I will help you, when have I ever let you down? I shall find him and bring him before you, so that he may give you his secrets," Freeman said. He turned around and began to follow Owen, who had already left the room. "Besides, I want you to have a name. Hey, wait up!" and then he was gone.

The Indominus stood at the window for some time before walking back to her nest. She lied down. The events from earlier today rushed through her mind:

 _It was early in the morning, her first show of the day. Despite having been alive for more than nine years, she had only just begun doing the shows a month ago. The board had debated for three years on whether or not she was too dangerous to show the public. But they had found Dr. Freeman, who had willingly agreed to be her caretaker. After all of the others had quit._

 _The shows always started out the same. Freeman would ask the crowd to be quiet because he knew she hated loud noises. Plus the quieter the crowd was, the better she could pretend they weren't there. He spoke for a minute or two about her, but nothing specific. No one knew what she was, they could only guess._

 _Freeman then released a cow for her to eat. He had pushed to have live animals to feed her like they did the T-Rex, and she was grateful for it. Fresh meat was so much better than rotten. She would then burst from the brush, frightening the cow and the humans, before crunching the cow down._

 _She was already beginning to tire of this routine, and Freeman knew it. He had tried to have the cow released into the paddock so she could actually hunt it, but no one was letting him do it. She decided to change things up for today and actually approach the glass. She had never done this before._

 _A hush fell over the crowd when she pushed her powerful jaws against the glass. Freeman turned around to gaze into her eyes, ready to force her away if she was feeling malicious. She reassured him that she was not going to do anything drastic with a low croon. He turned his violet stare away from her and began to speak again._

 _She enjoyed herself looking at the awed expressions. She knew that she was terrifying and they knew that too. Except she was behind the glass so they felt safe. But little did they know, the glass was no longer enough to save them if she decided to break it. She snapped back into reality when Freeman asked the crowd if they had any questions._

 _She was disappointed by the lack of questions. She would love to just talk about herself all day long, hearing someone else talk about her was just as good. But she supposed that her appearance answered many of their questions._ _Was she terrifying?_ _Absolutely. But one little girl tugged on Freeman's lab coat. She almost missed the little girl, she was so small._

 _"_ _Does she have a name?" the little girl asked innocently. Freeman didn't say anything, but then the crowd started to repeat the question over and over again._

 _"_ _No, she does not have a name," Freeman sighed. It wasn't like he tried to give her a name. She refused to allow him to name her unless he could beat her at something. He had not proven his worth._

 _"_ _Why not?" the little girl was persistent. She was amazed by this monstrosity before her, she simply must have a name to call her by!_

 _Freeman chuckled, "She told me I wasn't allowed to name her. Only someone she deems worthy can name her."_

 _The little girl looked troubled, "May I name her?" She looked at the Indominus and smiled._

 _The Indominus was tempted to let this little girl name her, but that would be showing weakness. The little girl would have to prove herself. And she was much too small for combat. So she shook her head no._

 _The crowd saw her answer and they all began begging her to let them name her. She continued shaking her head, Freeman helped her in telling the crowd that she would only allow certain people to name them. They only gave up when she growled loudly and walked away. They were disappointed, but they realized that the dinosaur could indeed understand them. That revelation made the crowd happy again and they willingly dispersed, eager to tell the world what they had discovered._

That little girl had disturbed her. Why was a name so important? Why did everyone want to name her? Why didn't the lucky human want to name her? Was it really because she was so monstrous? After that encounter, she became determined. She would make someone give her a name. A worthy name. She let out a loud roar that became a wail of grief. Even with her determination, she doubted that she could make the lucky human give her a name… even if she held up her end of the deal

XXX

 **So what do you all think? The plot thickens! Wu is missing, no one seems to know where he is, not even Sam. What Owen believed to be a dream may actually turn out to be real. Sam is still lying to him and they have a date tomorrow! And the Indominus, the poor Indominus, remains nameless. Won't anyone worthy give her a name? What about you all? Are you worthy enough to find the right name for the Indominus? Send me names and yours may be the one chosen (if Owen holds up his end of the bargain!).**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5 - Wereraptor:

Author's Note:

 **I would like to thank everyone who submitted names. I haven't decided yet what name to use, so keep 'em coming. I had a particular one in mind, but several of the ones given to me were so good, I just don't know! I would like to apologize in advance for all of the page breaks this chapter. We'll be following two different groups, so there is a lot of X's here. Anyways, enjoy!**

XXX

"Hey, wait up!" Dr. Freeman called after Owen. Owen had managed to descend the stairs from the viewing room and was on his way to his motorcycle when he heard Freeman's voice.

"Yes?" Owen asked. He turned around to face Freeman. A car pulled up quietly behind the two of them, but Owen's back was to it. Claire stepped out of the car.

"I would like to join you on your quest to find Wu," Freeman explained.

"What quest to find Wu?" Claire said. Owen cringed, he hadn't heard her approach.

"Nothing, nothing… I'll just be going then," Owen said quickly. He walked passed Claire without glancing at her and mounted his motorcycle. Freeman said nothing.

"If you're looking for Wu, you should know that he took the day off," Claire explained. That piqued Owen's curiosity. He didn't get the impression that Wu was the kind of person to take a day off. "He decided to stay home today."

"Really? Where does he live?" Owen asked.

"I don't know off the top of my head. I know that he told his assistant that he was taking the day off, she might know where he lives," Claire shrugged. She had the records to where he lived, she just didn't feel like going through them for Owen. And she really didn't care where Wu lived or why Owen wanted to find him.

"Assistant? When I was at the lab, no one seemed to know where he was either."

"Well, she's not his assistant anymore, she was hired yesterday."

"What's her name?" Owen was beginning to become impatient. Not only was he forced to have a conversation with the Indominus already, now he was talking to Claire. He had such terrible luck.

"Samantha… Bell, I think. Yeah, Samantha Bell," Claire said.

Owen froze, _"Sam? What the hell is going on?"_ Freeman took notice of Owen's surprise, but didn't say anything. Owen revved the engine of his motorcycle and drove off, shouting, "I've gotta go!"

Claire just stared at him as he drove off, "What's his problem?"

"He's been caught up in one too many lies," Freeman explained. He stood stock still for a moment before decided that he was going to go and find Wu without Owen. "Come on, you're helping me find Wu's home. Owen seems to have abandoned the quest, but I do not intend to." He walked towards Claire's car.

"Wait just a minute, I'm here to talk about the Indominus," Claire shouted at him.

"We can talk on the way," the good doctor said, opening the passenger's side door.

"No, I mean, Masrani wants to talk about the Indominus. I'm supposed to bring you to him."

"You came all this way to bring me to Masrani? You could've just called." Gordon narrowed his eyes at her, "Unless you're here for something else."

Claire flinched under his gaze, "No, just the reception is poor out here."

"It's honestly not that bad, you really should've just called. In any case, Masrani can wait." He entered the passenger's side and slammed the door behind him.

"Wait…" Claire sighed before shaking her head. She knew that she should have just called. She entered the driver's side and started up her car. Then she headed back towards her office where Wu's files were located. She really didn't want to go digging into Wu's personal life, but the good doctor was adamant about finding Wu.

But she realized that she had the upper hand, "Hold on, I have Wu's files. You need to see Masrani before I give them to you." Freeman made no motion to suggest he had heard her. Claire took his silence as a 'yes.'

XXX

Owen had set a blistering pace back to Wu's lab. Suddenly, everything made sense. Why Sam was always in Wu's lab, why she knew Wu so well, why she came to get a blood sample from the Raptors. She had been under Wu's orders the entire time. _But who made her lie to me?_ Owen wondered. She was no veterinarian.

Owen had believed her because the Raptors hadn't needed a checkup since they were just hatchlings. He had never seen her before, but she could have been recently hired. He had fallen for her like the sap he was. But now she's going to tell him the truth. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do afterwards. Would he still go out with her?

He squinted, his vision was becoming blurry. Was this rage? He felt angry… but this seemed different. He shook his head to clear his mind, only to see that he was heading straight towards a tree. He jumped off his motorcycle just as it rammed into the tree. He held his head in pain as he sat up. His bike was totaled. There was no way he was going to be able to ride it.

Where was he? He had veered off course so much that he was unable to recognize where he was. He couldn't see the road. He got up off the ground and tried to follow the path his motorcycle left in the dirt. But he got disoriented and ended up losing the path altogether.

His head still hurt, he was limping, and his vision was fading in and out. _Do I have a concussion?_ he thought. He couldn't keep moving, but he couldn't fall asleep. He might never wake up if he does. He collapsed against a tree, breathing hard.

His line of sight was becoming darker and darker. He tried his hardest to stay awake, but he was failing. Slowly his eyes began to close. Not that it mattered, he couldn't see anything anymore. Had he really hit his head that hard? And soon… complete darkness.

Awake! He was awake. Where was he? Oh, that's right, he's lost in the jungle. He looked around rapidly, no danger. He stood, quickly. His head was no longer hurting and his vision was fine. Although his leg was still tender, he could probably still run. Good, he'd be dead if he couldn't run.

Escape. He has to find his way out of the jungle. He couldn't remember where he was heading before he had his accident… what accident. He couldn't remember exactly what happened, all he knew was that he was trying to find someone. Who?

Pack. He must have been trying to find his pack. He was no longer holed up inside that strange room. He must have been able to escape. _Or I was let go,_ he thought. It didn't matter, he was free. Now he has to find his pack. Owen Grady had turned back into a Raptor.

XXX

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Masrani said as Dr. Freeman walked into his office. The good doctor sat down across from Masrani. "I would like to speak to you about the Indominus, Gordon."

"You could have just called," there was still something weird going on.

"I am aware, however, Claire insisted on picking you up personally."

"Oh?" Freeman turned around to look at Claire. She stiffened and left the room. "Well, I'm here, what would you like to know."

"You haven't been submitting any reports and I was worried. Has she made any progress?" Masrani was concerned about the Indominus. She was highly expensive and he wanted her to get better. There was no use having a mentally damaged animal on display.

"Mr. Masrani, I mean no offence when I say this to you: Jurassic World is completely at fault when it comes to her fragile mental state. When she was very young, she ate her sister because you weren't feeding her enough. She had lived in isolation for almost six years. After you escaped you've tried fixing her, but I'm afraid that the last three years have only made her worse," the good doctor paused, "You only hired me a few months ago, and it is too early for her to make any progress. But don't get me wrong, she wants to get better, just…"

"Just what," Masrani said, concerned.

"She hates herself. I've been able to connect with her and convince her to try to get better… but she might be too far gone," Freeman sighed.

"So it's my fault?" no one had ever told Masrani that he was responsible for her condition. The other psychologists who had been assigned to her had always placed the blame on InGen, or the Indominus herself. But Dr. Freeman held no qualms with telling Masrani that he was to blame.

"Only partially. It has been your poor judgement that is the cause of her degrading condition, but you're moving in the right direction. It may take some time, but she could make a full recovery, if not…" he paused.

"We'll have to put her down. Is it smart to let her do the shows?" Masrani asked.

"It's good for her, it allows her to interact with people safely. And the crowds that have been coming in have been polite, it makes her happy. One of the children during the last show actually got an emotional reaction out of her, she can still feel Mr. Masrani," Freeman leaned back into his chair, "And that's the problem, sir. She's too human, which is why I would like to have a word with Dr. Wu. Some of his experiments have been… _questionable_ , and I need to speak to him about them."

"I understand, sorry for interrupting your work, but please, send in your reports. No news is still good news, so don't be afraid to just talk about her," Masrani smiled at the good doctor as he got up from his chair and headed towards the door. "I may actually come by and apologize to her when she makes some progress," he mumbled.

Gordon chuckled as he left the room, _I'll hold you to that,_ he thought. It was nice that Masrani actually cared for his animals, so contrasting to Dr. Wu. Cold and uncaring Wu. Claire appeared before him, "Did you find his address?" he asked. He had agreed to be dragged off to Masrani if she would look for Wu's house while they talked.

"Yes, it's not far from here," Claire said, taking the lead. She still had no idea what he wanted with Wu, but as long as Owen wasn't coming, she would be happy to help him.

XXX

 _Which way to pack?_ the blood red raptor wondered. He had put his nose to work, trying to pick up a scent. But it would seem as if his pack has never passed through here before. In fact, nothing larger than a bird has passed through here. _Then why am I here?_

He gave up trying to find the scent on the ground and instead focused on the wind. The wind… he remembered someone telling him that the wind had given the scent of something new on the island. He couldn't remember who or what was new, all that he recalled was that whatever it was smelled like blood.

A large gust passed him by and he could smell his pack… in two different directions. Which way should he go? Was his pack divided? He tried harder, the wind continued to blow, helping him focus on the scents. They both seemed like his pack… but one was odd. It was almost… twisted and warped. As if it had been possessed by a great evil. It was coming from the north.

The other scent smelled normal. It was coming further south. But he also smelled something else. People, though he didn't know what to call them. He did recall the scent from the strange man holding the shiny weapon. Was his pack in danger? He heard a loud wail coming from the north. It was the twisted one? Was she hurt? He was tempted to go back to her, but she didn't seem right.

He decided to stick with his instincts and head further south. Even though south might be more dangerous than north. He trudged through the thick jungle, careful not to upset his leg, until he broke into a clearing. A large, unnatural clearing. He hunkered down in the brush and hoped his red color wouldn't draw the people to him.

His breathing slowed and he watched the people run around. When would they leave? Something told him that they would leave eventually, but he didn't know when. He stayed absolutely still as the people filtered out of the clearing. He remained still until there was only one left. He could deal with one.

He stood and approached the person slowly. His dark skin color intrigued him, as if he remembered this one. He searched his memories, but could not find a name. But something told him that this person was called friend. He barked at the man who froze in place.

The dark-skinned man turned around slowly. He was breathing heavily and he smelled like fear. Why did he smell like fear? _If he was really friend, he wouldn't smell like fear_ , the red Raptor rationed. "Easy… I'm not going to harm you," the man stuck out a bare hand while speaking to him.

The bare hand comforted the Raptor and he nuzzled it affectionately. This startled the man even more, "So you're the escaped Raptor, huh? That's odd, I could swear Owen said you were silvery-blue…"

But he wasn't silvery-blue, he was red like blood! Who is this Owen the man speaks of? For some reason he could remember a name like Owen as well. But not if he was friend or foe. The red Raptor tilted his head in confusion as the dark-skinned man began to back away.

"I'll be leaving now, please don't bother the other Raptors," the man said. He got into his vehicle and drove away as fast as he could. The Raptor didn't understand why the friendly man left so scared. He wasn't going to hurt him.

It doesn't matter, he had to find his pack mates. He had tracked them here, they must be around here somewhere. He noticed the big cage-like thing in the middle of the clearing. Were they in there? He approached the cage cautiously before making a 'gather' call. If his pack was in here, they'd respond to him.

Confused barks answered his calls and four beautiful female Raptors trotted out of the brush to greet him. They came at him with tilted heads, as if they did not recognize him. _"Who are you,"_ the largest one asked. She had a blue stripe running down her side.

The red raptor became excited, he recognized all of these Raptors. It was his pack! Blue, Delta, Charlie, and Echo, he even remembered their names. But it sounded like they had forgotten him. They couldn't have replaced him already! _"What do you mean? I am your alpha."_

The four females reared back in surprise, _"Alpha? You are not our alpha,"_ Blue said. The other Raptors formed a 'v' behind her and she pawed the ground with her foot. _"You are not welcome here, please go home."_

 _"_ _Home? But this is home! I am home. I am your alpha,"_ the male was becoming more desperate. To him, it seemed as if he had been abandoned by his pack.

Blue turned to confer with her pack mates, she had never seen this Raptor before and neither had they. _"Our alpha is a human, he leads us by giving commands on that pathway up there,"_ Blue said, motioning towards the walkway with her snout.

The red Raptor tilted his head, _"Human? Why let a human lead you… besides, I am your alpha."_

Blue tapped her big claw against the ground as she thought. She didn't like having a human alpha, it bothered her even more than it did her pack mates. She hated taking orders from him, and only tolerated him out of necessity. And because there was no one else. But now there was someone else. A Raptor who already claims to be their alpha. He was much bigger than any of them and he looked stronger. Even though he seems to have injured his leg, he wasn't limping much.

 _"_ _I remember now, you were our alpha before we were captured. If you can free us, we'll follow you,"_ Blue decided to give the red Raptor a test. If he could free them, then she would follow him. Simple and no one had to get hurt. And then maybe she would kill their former alpha.

Her sister looked at her in confusion before deciding to follow her example. They wanted to be free too. Being subservient to a strange male Raptor was much better than an annoying human. And plus, he was in his prime. They could get a few hatchlings out of him at least. That would be good.

 _"_ _Great! Uh… I don't know how to free you,"_ he admitted.

Blue sighed, _"I don't know how to open this infernal cage either…"_ she suddenly looked away from him, towards the path the friendly human had taken. _"They are coming back. Leave and come back under the cover of darkness to try and release us."_ Blue shooed the male away. She watched as he ran, admiring his form. Although he was injured, he bolted away like lightning. He was even faster than she was. And that impressed Blue.

XXX

 **Knock! Knock! Knock!** Claire rapped on Wu's door. "Dr. Wu? It's Claire and Dr. Freeman! We wish to have a word with you!" she shouted out.

"Go away," a tired voice said from the inside of the house. He didn't even open the door.

"But doctor, it's important," Claire pleaded. She was disgusted with herself for pleading, she was used to being in control of every situation. Not being able to force Wu to open his door disturbed her greatly.

"No," was Wu's simple response.

"Let me try," Gordon said, taking note of Claire's discomfort. He stepped up to the door and cleared his voice, "Dr. Wu, I know that you keep a spare key underneath the doormat, I am not afraid to use it." Claire gave him a strange look, but decided against saying anything.

Wu opened the door up immediately, "Announce it to the whole world, why don't you?" Gordon rolled his eyes.

"You look like hell," Claire said. Wu looked as if he was a decomposing corpse. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin was extremely pale. He hadn't showered in days, neither has he slept.

"Thanks for mentioning it. I took the day off to sleep, but I seem to be having difficulty doing so," Wu admitted. He stepped aside from the entrance, allowing Gordon into his home. He knew that he couldn't keep them out, not when they knew where his emergency key was.

Just as Claire was about to step into Wu's home, the good doctor turned around and blocked the path. "I think I will proceed alone from here, thank you for your help, Claire." He shut the door slowly in her face.

Claire just blinked at what happened to her. No one had ever shut the door on her before. What was she supposed to do? Wait here, she was his ride, or should she just go? She decided on the latter, if he no longer needed her help, he didn't need her as a ride. She got into her car and left.

"I would've thought a smart man like yourself would have hidden your emergency key somewhere less obvious," Gordon observed. He took a seat on the couch in Wu's living room and denied having some refreshments Wu offered. Wu took a reclining chair in the corner of the room.

"What do you want? I'd really like to try to get back to sleep," Wu complained.

Dr. Freeman smirked, "We both know that you haven't slept in three days and counting." Wu just gritted his teeth. "I would tell you that I'm here about the Indominus, but I would rather cut the crap-" Gordon leaned forward, "What have you done to Mr. Grady?"

Wu stared at him for a solid minute before bursting out laughing, "Done? I haven't done anything to Mr. Grady. I barely even know him!"

Gordon frowned before saying, "You're lying again, Wu. If all you're going to do is lie, then I shall take what I want from you by force. Don't think that you can stop me." He stood and walked towards Wu, glaring at him. Wu gulped audibly, Gordon's violet gaze was more intense than anything Wu had ever experienced. "So, shall I operate believing that you'll just lie to me?"

Wu didn't say anything. He could only stare into the good doctor's eyes, as if he was hypnotized. "Very well then… let's begin. Tell me, what have you done to Mr. Grady?" He was now standing over Wu. Wu didn't answer, opting to stay silent.

Freeman kneeled down so that he was on eye level with the still sitting Wu. "I know why you cannot sleep. It's haunting you, isn't it? You say that morals and ethics don't hold any power over you, but even you lie to yourself."

Wu finally managed to blink, "They are worthless, they mean nothing to me!" He turned his head away from Dr. Freeman.

"Then why can't you sleep, you're feeling guilty, Wu." Wu refused to look at him. "Hey, look at me." When Wu refused to do as he asked, Dr. Freeman grabbed ahold of his chin and forced his head to turn around.

They continued staring at each other, neither blinking. "I agree with you, you know. Ethics, morals, laws, they are all worthless in my eyes. Why should I be bound by human weakness? And yet, I am. I have to in order to live in a society, and so do you. What you have done violates the rules of ethics and I have no qualms reporting you to the authorities."

"Don't, please, there's still so much left to do," Wu begged. His eyes widened in fear and the beginnings of tears started to form.

"But I won't, if you tell me why Mr. Grady has suddenly become a _wereraptor,_ " Gordon hissed.

"Wereraptor, that's not what I would've called it…" he flinched from Freeman's gaze again, "But it'll have to do. I… took pieces of his DNA and his Raptor's DNA, and yes, even the DNA of the Indominus and designed a disease that would turn him into a Raptor. But only partially, I wanted him to be a hybrid so he could shift between forms. But it seems as if the process went wrong somewhere. He cannot shift between forms willingly and he has no recollection of what is going on."

Dr. Freeman stood and cracked his neck, "That's extremely interesting Dr. Wu. I'm guessing that this 'rogue Raptor' he was attacked by was someone else you had tested the disease on." Gordon extended his hand over Wu's face. "In any case, I won't ask why you did this. You're a man of science, pushing the natural boundaries is what you are supposed to do. Sleep now, Wu, now that your guilt has been lifted. And when you awake, you shall refuse to tell Owen the truth until he has heard it from the Indominus," he commanded. Wu's eyes shut slowly and he fell asleep.

Dr. Freeman walked out of Wu's home, locking the door behind him. He clicked his tongue in dismay when he saw that Claire had left him. _No matter, I am more than capable of walking,_ he thought. He started the long trek back to the Indominus paddock. He glanced at Wu's home one last time, thinking, _I hope that Wu realizes when he wakes up that he does not own a doormat. That was a cruel trick, even to me._

XXX

 **What do you all think? Any good? I hope that all the page breaks didn't get annoying. Is there something between Claire and Dr. Freeman? What about Blue, she's not easily impressed! Ahem… I have a small announcement to make, to anyone who cares. I will be halting my regular updating schedule of one chapter a day this weekend. I will be away from any computers, even though I'll have my laptop with me, I will be unable to post. So, I may not end up working on the next chapter until Monday, and I cannot guarantee that I will be able to post the next chapter on that day. So expect an update on Monday at best, Tuesday at worst. Thank you for your time, and please keep sending me Indominus names!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6 - Lethologica:

Author's Note:

 **I'm back everyone! Oh, it was awful, just awful. I won't go into detail (you all don't care) but I will say that it hurts even to type. Thank you once again everyone who has sent me a name. I think I've decided on the one I like best. Surprisingly not the one that I had come up with, it's one of yours!**

XXX

Owen cracked his eyes open. He was alive. His memory was fuzzy, he didn't remember exactly what happened, but he was still alive, which was important. He was back at his bungalow… how did that happen? All he remembered was passing out in the woods, now he was laying in his bed.

Someone must have found him and moved him here. He sat up and noticed that nothing seemed to hurt anymore. His leg felt fine, his head didn't hurt, and everything was fine. He must have taken some Advil. He checked the alarm on the nightstand by his bed. 7am?

He had slept for almost twenty hours! Today was Friday. _Sam… what am I going to do?_ Owen thought. He didn't get to confront Sam yesterday because of his accident. He bounded out of his bed. That's right, the accident! He ran out of his house, looking for his motorcycle.

He didn't remember retrieving it, so he wasn't surprised that he didn't find it. He'd have to buy a new one, he didn't even remember where he crashed. Thankfully, he still had a spare ATV behind his home that he could use. At least he would be on time for today's feeding.

He drove carefully today, not trying to break any land speed records like on his motorcycle. He would occasionally look off to the side of the road to see if there were signs of a vehicle going through the brush. There weren't any.

When he pulled into the clearing Barry approached him. Barry looked absolutely exhausted, there were dark bags underneath his eyes and he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. "Haven't slept?" Owen asked.

Barry glared at him, "I couldn't sleep if I wanted to. We have a situation here, Owen. But I'll get to that, where were you yesterday? I was worried sick."

"I crashed my motorcycle and then I passed out by a tree. I woke up today in my bed, I have no idea how," Owen shrugged as he explained.

"Well that explains the ATV…" Barry said. He thought for a moment, "Well I thought that Raptor got you. We had a little Raptor problem here after everyone started to leave, after they realized that you weren't coming back."

Owen's eyes widened, "What! Why would she come here?"

Barry shivered, "I don't know, but I was alone. The Raptor came up to me and when I held out my hand, she touched it, as if she knew me. I ran, of course."

All Owen could say was, "Damn." Owen could never get any of the girls to touch him after they reached his hip in height. Barry was a lucky man not to be dead.

"We have another problem. The Raptor that you described to me… was not the same one that came here yesterday."

Owen furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Really? That could be bad, there may be more rogue Raptors."

"Exactly, this one was red," Barry said, "I don't think we should worry about this now. We'll talk after their run."

Owen flinched, "Speaking of runs, how pissed are they?"

Barry shrugged and Owen sighed. Better to just get it over with. Barry watched from the ground as Owen climbed the walkway. Owen whistled loudly, calling the Raptors to him. Normally they would bark at him and line up before him.

It was something he had observed on Isla Sorna, from a safe distance of course. The alpha Raptor would call all of his pack mates to him, then he would select the most capable from the pack to go hunting with him. He would normally leave the beta behind to help protect the weakest in the pack. They would usually hunt in groups of four, and the larger the pack, the more hunting groups. Because Owen's pack only had four members, Owen really didn't have to have them present themselves before him.

But it was a way for them to bond. It showed that he was aware of pack dynamics and it would allow him to see if any of the girls were too weak to do the run. Not that they ever were. But this time, no one answered him. The paddock was silent. Owen signaled for them to go ahead and release the pig. With prey racing through their territory, the Raptors can't possibly ignore it, right?

But they did ignore it. The pig ran through the paddock and made it safely to the escape door without a single Raptor appearing. It was as if they had escaped. But Barry and the others had stayed all night, nothing entered or left the cage while they were present.

"Goddamn it," Owen muttered. He thought he had a real bond with these Raptors, but they thought otherwise. If they refused to cooperate, they'd be put down. Owen didn't want them to be killed just because they refused to follow orders, but it wasn't his decision to make. It was Hoskins', and he had no qualms with starting over. Besides, it's been over three years since the Raptors had done a perfect run. No progress has been made.

Perhaps he should just face the truth. The Raptors are no longer responding to him, he cannot train them. He has failed, maybe he should just start over. Or maybe it is just impossible. Owen shook his head, he can't just give up.

 _"_ _Stay hidden, don't let them see you,"_ a quiet voice said. Owen perked up when he heard it. It was one of the Raptors!

 _"_ _Quiet!"_ another voice snapped, _"They'll hear you."_ Owen was certain that this voice was Blue.

Owen smirked, he still had an ace up his sleeve. "You cannot hide forever! You'll have to eat eventually." Owen glared into the darkness where he was fairly sure Blue was hiding.

 _"_ _New alpha will free us. New alpha will feed us. New alpha will protect us from you,"_ yet another voice chanted.

"What new alpha?" Owen muttered to himself, " **I** am your alpha! I feed you and protect you from danger. When have I ever hurt any of you, or allowed you to be harmed?" Owen was very careful that he never lashed out at the Raptors. He didn't allow the security posted at the paddock to shoot at them if he could talk them down.

 _"_ _Not us, you are not one of us. New alpha is one of us,"_ yet another voice said. All of the Raptors have spoken. Owen sighed and wiped his hand down his face. There wasn't going to be any negotiating with them for the moment.

He was greeted by Barry and Hoskins the moment he put his feet on the ground. "That was probably the most pathetic display I've seen from this bunch yet," Hoskins said.

"Cram it, Hoskins," Owen was in no mood to deal with his shit today. Owen grabbed Barry and began walking towards their shared office. That way they could talk without Hoskins overhearing them.

But that didn't stop Hoskins from following. "You thought that shouting would've helped? Those Raptors didn't even bother to chase a pig that was in their territory. Face it, Owen, those Raptors are a lost cause. We need to start over."

Owen froze, "I refuse to give up on them, Hoskins. And I know what you mean by starting over, you're just going to put them down!" He clenched his jaw so tightly it ached.

Hoskins held up his hands defensively, "Woah, of course I mean to put them down. They are failures, if we kept them around they could influence the next batch. Plus we have nowhere else to put them."

Owen sighed, Hoskins was technically right. If they were going to make a new batch, they'd have to kill the old one. Owen thought for a minute, Hoskins continuing to stare at him. "Do you know of any other Raptors on this island other than mine?" Owen asked.

There were only two people on this island Owen could think of that would have something to do with the rogue Raptors. One was Wu, but Wu would not just let a pair of rogue Raptors roam freely, they would be contained somehow. Hoskins was the other. Owen could justify suspecting Hoskins, rogue Raptors would be an excuse to field test his own Raptors… but Hoskins hasn't pushed for a test run in over a year.

Hoskins looked genuinely confused, "I haven't authorized any Raptors to be on this island other than your own." Owen believed him, there was no reason for these Raptors to be on this island. And yet here they are.

"Listen carefully, Hoskins, there is a very good chance that there are rogue Raptors on this island. Both myself and Barry have encountered different Raptors, so there are at least two. It is probably safe to assume that there are more," Owen explained.

"When were you planning on telling me this? Is this why you asked my guys to stay at the paddock all night yesterday? You could've at least told me!"

"We just did. I would suggest stepping up security measures here at the paddock. We can't let any rogue Raptors come into contact with ours. Though I fear it may have already happened," Owen said. Both Hoskins and Barry gave him odd looks, so he explained, "There's a good chance that one of the rogue Raptors has already managed to wrest control of ours from me. That's why they didn't even respond today. Barry, you said that one of the Raptors came up to you yesterday?"

Barry nodded his head, "I left before I was attacked. You don't think…"

"I believe so. We just have to keep the Raptors from getting to ours, eventually Blue and the others will believe that they have been abandoned and may start to treat me as alpha again. Until then, we aren't feeding them, the process will go by faster if I am the only alpha that can provide for them." Owen began dragging Barry off towards his office once more.

Hoskins narrowed his eyes as he watched them go. He believed Owen and his theory about rogue Raptors interfering with training. But he had a different idea of how to regain control over Blue and the others. Alphas fight for dominance, if he can kill the rogue alpha, perhaps **he** could gain control over the pack. He could kick out the middle man and continue to train them for military purpose.

He had been suspecting for years now that Owen was just stalling. He knew that Owen didn't agree with him about militarized Raptors. He had figured that Owen was faking the amount of control he had over the Raptors, but there was a good chance there were rogue Raptors on the island. He'll just have to put the operation back on track.

"Are you feeling alright?" Barry asked Owen after they had reached the safety of their office. Although it was technically only Owen's office. It was small and dim. There was only a single lamp in the office and thick curtains hung over the windows. There was a single desk placed against the back wall.

Owen pulled the chair from the desk and turned it around to face Barry. Barry remained standing. "I think so, I mean, nothing hurts. Although I crashed my motorcycle, nothing seems to be broken. My leg doesn't even hurt that much anymore. And I guess you could say I'm relieved that I'm not crazy," Owen chuckled.

"Because I saw a Raptor too?"

"Yeah, basically," Owen said, scratching the back of his neck. It was quiet as Barry thought about his choice of words.

"How was the psychologist you saw? Was he any good?" Barry asked. He was suffering from lack of sleep, and he figured whoever Owen went to see could help him.

"Yeah…" Owen started. He decided against actually telling Barry about what he discovered. "He's actually the Indominus caretaker, so that didn't go over well."

Barry became determined to see that psychologist later today. The one time he had tried to doze off while patrolling the paddock, he saw the Raptor in his dreams. "Oh, that's odd. The Indominus caretaker had called earlier, I forgot to mention. He said something like 'Tell Owen to meet me at the Indominus paddock at his earliest convenience.' I didn't think anything of it," he said.

Owen gritted his teeth, the Indominus couldn't have figured out exactly what was wrong with him already… could she have? It has only been a day! If that is the case, then Owen suspected Dr. Freeman of interfering. He had no reason not to go and see what they wanted, especially if he wanted answers. He doubted that he could've taken them from Wu. "Well, I guess I'm off then. Are you coming too?"

"I think I'll stay here and make sure the paddock is still safe," Barry said. He would go and see the Indominus caretaker tonight, without Owen. This was something he wanted only the psychologist to know about.

XXX

 _I must be crazy_ , Owen thought as he ascended the viewing room stairs once again. He stopped before entering the room. _What if they feed me a lie?_ He had no way of knowing if they would even tell him the truth. The Indominus seemed desperate to receive a name, and Dr. Freeman was crafty enough to make up a believable lie.

Owen figured that he would refuse to grant the Indominus a name until he heard their story corroborated. That would force them to admit that they had no proof. Owen could have a plausible answer and he wouldn't have to give the Indominus a name.

He entered the viewing room smirking, thinking he had won. What he didn't expect was the Indominus standing with her face pressed up against the glass. And Dr. Freeman sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. Both had their eyes closed.

Suddenly, the Indominus' eyes popped open and she said, _"Rook e8."_

The good doctor tutted quietly and said, "Queen take Rook e8." She snarled at him, prompting him to respond with, "Hey, it's just a game." They were playing chess.

 _"_ _I know that, it just seems like I never have a chance in the first place. Rook takes e8."_ She sighed when he captured once again on e8.

"The problem isn't that I'm too good, it's that you aren't thinking enough out of the box. I'm just glad you're still willing to play despite our score being 15-0. Check, by the way. Not many continue playing me after they realize that they probably wouldn't win."

She hissed and said, _"I am thinking outside of the box. I feel as if you're just tricking me, I should stay with the basics and maybe I can beat you in a position you're unfamiliar with. Knight f8."_

"That might be your only option. Rook a8. But you have to remember, I know all of the positions on the chess board."

 _"_ _Sometimes I think you're just using mind games against me. Pawn h6,"_ she was clearly losing hope.

"Perhaps I am, it's a good strategy, you know. Maybe I'm not really any good at chess, I'm just making you think I am. Rook e8."

 _"_ _See, that's the kind of bullshit I'm talking about. I know that you're good at chess, you're just distracting me! King h7."_

"Come on my dear, you can do better than that. Bishop e4, check."

The Indominus lowered her head, _"I know… King h8."_

Gordon furrowed his brows, "You're just giving up? You had another ten moves in you before you lost. Rook take f8, checkmate." The Indominus let out a growl that turned into a sigh. She looked up and saw Owen. Owen had just been standing there, observing the two play chess.

The Indominus let out a happy bark that had no real meaning before saying, _"Owen is here! I can get a name!"_

Dr. Freeman gathered the chess board and pieces and stowed them away at this desk. He cracked his back, "She's been waiting for a whole day. As you probably know already, she's found you your answer."

"She does seem very excited. Alright, let's hear it. Go ahead and tell me what I want to know," Owen demanded. The Indominus then spouted out everything that she had heard from the good doctor. She explained how Wu gave him a disease and how he was now a wereraptor, how the process went wrong somewhere, and why his memories were so blurry.

"I'm a wereraptor? That's some story you got there," Owen seethed. He shrugged his shoulders, "I just refuse to believe that though, I'll need Dr. Wu to confirm your story for me. Then I'll give you a name."

He turned to leave the viewing room, he had an answer, as unbelievable as it was. The Indominus let out a loud roar, interrupting him while he was leaving. _"How_ _dare_ _you lie to_ _me!_ _I gave you what you wanted, now give me a name!"_ She began to curse at him, calling him every foul name she could think of.

Gordon glared at him, "That's a low blow, Grady. But, I am happy to say that I have already prepared for you to do something like this." He waved his hand, silencing the Indominus, though she continued to fume. He pulled out of his pocket a tape recorder. Owen's eyes widened and doom set into his stomach.

 _"_ _Wereraptor, that's not how I would've described it… but it'll have to do. I… took pieces of his DNA and his Raptor's DNA, and yes, even the DNA of the Indominus and designed a disease that would turn him into a Raptor,"_ Gordon flicked the tape off violently. He had been well prepared for this eventuality.

The Indominus began to suck in air. She hitched her breath so the air came out in short bursts, she was laughing at him! _"Now, give me a name I can call my own!"_ she demanded.

Owen stood ramrod straight, "No. I will not give a monster such as yourself a name. You're just a beast that deserves no name." He glared at her.

 _"_ _I understand why you think me a demon… but even demons have names. Human… please, name me!"_ Her crimson eyes were pleading. Her pupils expanded to the point where she looked like a begging cat. If you ignored the fact that she was fifty feet long and had a maw full of deadly razor sharp teeth.

Dr. Freeman looked at Owen, his violet eyes full of something Owen could not identify. But it was almost hypnotic. "She needs a name if she is going to make a recovery. You of all people should want her to make a recovery."

Owen finally broke down, "I would be lying if I didn't think up a few names. I guess calling you the Indominus gets tiring after a while, and it _is_ cruel for you to be nameless." Owen took a deep breath and approached the glass of the room. He stood before her, no longer afraid, "I will call you Saber."

Her eyes brightened immediately, all of her anger was forgotten. She mulled over the name, tasting it on the tip of her tongue. Owen could hear her say it aloud several times, testing how it sounded to her, _"Saber… Saber… Saber… I like it. It sounds sharp and deadly, like me. Thank you… Owen."_

She called him by his name. Owen smiled a real smile. She was so excited about being named. She thought of the little girl who had wanted to name her, she wondered if the little girl would like her name. She hoped so. "Well, what do you plan on doing now?" Gordon asked Owen.

"I have a date tonight, I am going to confront one of the conspirators there… uh, where should I take a girl on a date?" The last date Owen had went on was with Claire. She had decided on everything, down to the very place they would be going. Owen didn't spend much time at the main park, so he didn't really know what was any good.

"I would suggest that you take her somewhere crowded. That will keep you two from making a scene, hopefully. I would recommend the steakhouse, it's very good, or so I hear," Gordon explained.

Owen nodded in thanks and proceeded out of the door, before Gordon said something else, "And I would not recommend wearing board shorts!" Owen smirked and thanked him again. He didn't think that Gordon knew of his disaster date with Claire, not having been on the island at the time. The gossip had died down after a few years, so he wasn't sure how the good doctor knew. He didn't dote on it, though. He pulled out his phone to call Sam, and thought of how he wanted to confront her.

Gordon watched as Owen left. He was just happy Saber got her name. The Indominus was so giddy she asked for another game of chess, claiming that she was feeling 'lucky.' Gordon obliged her with a soft smirk on his face. Gordon thought about the name. Not only was Saber sharp and dangerous, it was elegant and precise. A sword was a perfect fit for the Indominus. Saber was so enamored with her own name that she wasn't even upset that she was losing again.

XXX

 **I decided to end the chapter on a lighter note, and save Owen and Sam's date for next chapter. Not that I am telling you that something is going to go wrong… but anyways, what do you all think? Yes, the good doctor has taught the Indominus to play chess, though she isn't very good yet. I would like to thank dracologistmaster for the name Saber. I was thinking of something more demonic, to really characterize Owen's dislike of the Indominus, but I think Saber is something easy and simple to remember. And it describes the Indominus perfectly (I think). Let me know what you think, and thank you again everyone who sent me a name!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7 - Exulansis:

Author's Note:

 **I know that I promised that we'll get the date this chapter, but that will come at the end. This time we start with Dracul, the Spinosaurus. No, I haven't forgotten about him, or the Spino Rex. This chapter will be addressing them as well as the date. Enjoy!**

XXX

He let out another roar. He had been here for less than a week and he was starting to tire of this scenery. He wanted to roam the plains to hunt for his own food. But no, he was no longer allowed to hunt his own prey. He was force fed terrible tasting meat by the humans.

He knew where he was, he was in a cage. A cage built by humans. He had been in a cage before, when he was very young. But he had escaped and lived a life of freedom that he deserved. But he was captured again, taken from his island, and put back into a cage.

At least the humans have given him lots of space and a large river to call his own. Not that there was anything in the river. It was barren of fish, which was what he really wanted to hunt. Although the prey in the valley at his old home was large and plentiful, he was becoming too old to hunt reliably. Which was why he preferred fishing.

He may be old, but he didn't need babying! He roared again. He just wanted to actually hunt, he no longer cared what it was. As long as it was healthy and would pose a challenge. He flicked his gaze around his paddock, searching for the glass that hid the humans. He knew that they had put themselves in a place where he could not see them, but they could see him.

They hid like cowards. Perhaps he could hunt them, though he doubted they posed much of a challenge. He was pretty sure that he knew where they were, but they were out of his reach. Behind glass that he knew that he could not break.

The ground trembled and opened up. A strange creature rose from the ground. It bleated and ignored his presence, preferring to feast on the grass of his paddock. Although its horns were sharp, they posed no threat to the massive Spinosaurus. Dracul stomped from the brush and attacked the creature. It bleated as it tried to run, but it was tied down to a metal pole.

 _Stupid humans, they must be making this boring on purpose,_ Dracul thought. He was the best hunter on the planet, goddamn it! He didn't need his prey tied down so it could not run. He would pursue his food to the ends of the Earth and back, never giving up.

He snapped up the annoying prey and swallowed it swiftly. It tasted disgusting. It was furry, not scaly like he was used to. But he roared in victory anyways, as it was custom to do so. To ward off other predators and potential scavengers. He noticed the strange lack of custom on this island.

Yes… island. He could tell he was on a completely different island. Although he could still smell salt and water in every direction, which is how he knew it was an island, this place smelled very different. It smelled… at peace. There was no chaos here, which made this island boring. He longed to break free again, maybe make this island smell like his old one.

He heard a different roar. He recognized this one. He had heard it all the time on his old island, he had nicknamed them the Powerful Ones. They were the only predators on the island that could compete with him. Although none of them came close to his size, he knew that the one on this island was large, definitely female, and even older than he was.

He loved to fight the Powerful Ones on his island, when he was feeling good enough to do so. Usually, they would come looking for him, at least the younger, more arrogant, males did. They were significantly smaller than he was, but twice as aggressive. Not that it mattered, he always won. He hated having to kill them, but sometimes they just wouldn't give up.

A different roar sounded next. While the Powerful One's roar was loud, and so was his, this one was on a completely different scale. He could tell she was female, but that was it. The roar was high pitched and insanely loud, as if she was tearing the heavens apart. He did not know what kind of creature made this sound, but she sounded big. Even bigger than him.

Which he thought was impossible. He wished to meet this creature, so he could see with his own eyes exactly what she was. But she sounded twisted and evil. Most creatures when they roared didn't say anything specific. Not that every creature could understand each other, they just didn't say anything specific. Sometimes a roar was just a roar. But not this twisted creature, she always said something specific.

This roar was jubilant, it called for celebration. Dracul let out his loudest roar in response. Although he wasn't sure why he could understand this creature (he could never understand the Powerful Ones), he was happy for her. Her roars were usually filled with sadness and aloneness. A void that begged to be filled. Sometimes it was just a simple, _"I'm here."_

Dracul always did his best to respond to her. She was so interesting, even though he wasn't sure if she was what he was. But sounds could be deceiving, she could be a Spinosaurus. _"I am Saber!"_ the voice called out again.

Finally, a name. _"I am Dracul!"_ he roared back. Although it was the name given to him by humans, it seemed fitting. It was monstrous and powerful and carried a lot of weight. The name itself was terrifying. It was the only thing the humans have done right.

He has decided. Once he manages to break out, like he inevitably will, he will go to the Twisted One. He could feel the shadows of chaos creeping through the island, though they haven't taken hold yet. Once he frees the Twisted One, she will help him make this place like his old island.

XXX

Claire was toting several investors around the visitor's center. It has only been a few days, but the Spino Rex was over twenty feet long. It was time to put it in its paddock and attempt to get investors on board. Unlike the Indominus Rex, the Spino Rex was relatively cheap. If you ignore the loss of life attempting to gather the DNA sample that became its baseline.

"It's been three months since our last hybrid. Our geneticists have mostly been making passive herbivores, considering how hyper-aggressive our Indominus Rex is. But we feel as though they aren't getting enough attention, attendance is already dropping," Claire explained.

It was a much smaller group of investors that what the Indominus had. There were only three men following Claire. "So you've made one a little more like the Indominus?" one of the investors asked. The investors have been in the dark about what the new attractions actually was. It was easier to reel them in that way.

"Yes, this one is a carnivore. We've decided to keep pushing the boundaries with this one," Claire said, smiling at them. She led them into the lab to meet Dr. Wu. But it wasn't Wu who met them.

"Where's Dr. Wu?" Claire asked as Sam walked up next to her.

"He's run off to do something important. Hello everyone, I'm Sam Bell, doctorate impending. The Spinosaurus Rex will be our largest carnivore, tapping in at around sixty feet long," Sam explained.

"Sixty feet! Wow, that's so big, when will she be ready?" a different investor asked.

"He, this one is a he. We've been experimenting with different growth sequences, although only a few days old, our Spino Rex is nearly twenty feet long. He'll be a full sixty feet by the end of the month at the latest," Sam said.

Claire nodded her head, "Unlike with the Indominus, we're willing to show you a taste of what you'll be investing in. If you would please follow me," Claire motioned with her hand.

"Where are we going?" the final investor asked.

"To his paddock," Claire said and kept walking. Sam watched them go. She looked at the time and noted that it was almost one o'clock. She was supposed to meet Owen at the steakhouse at five.

She smiled softly as she thought of Owen. He waited until this morning to tell her where he planned on taking her. She wondered why he decided on telling her instead of keeping it a secret. I guess he didn't want her to underdress. She decided to clock out early and head home. She would prepare herself mentally and physically for what she hoped would be the start of a very long and happy relationship with Owen Grady.

XXX

Dr. Freeman looked over the large crowd of people today. The Indominus had only three shows a day where she would be fed each time. After everyone had realized that she was nameless and she could understand them, more and more people came to see her. Today was no exception. It was her second showing of the day and the viewing room was packed with people.

Gordon chuckled as he saw the small girl from yesterday. She had come back to each showing since then, continuing to beg him to let her name the Indominus. It was priceless to see her little face scrunch up each time Saber shook her head no. But she'll be happy once she finds out the Indominus' name.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please hold your applause, I present to you, Saber, the Indominus Rex!" Gordon said, waving his hand towards the glass. Saber burst out of the brush with a loud roar. It was her loudest one, and caused many of the people to cover their ears. Saber chased down the cow that had been released in her paddock and snapped into it.

Gordon could faintly hear another roar from somewhere else in the park, but he made no attempt to understand it. The Indominus shook the cow and sent a bloody half flying into the glass. It splattered against the glass, painting it red. The Indominus roared again, _"I am Saber!"_

It warmed Gordon's heart to see her so happy, and the guests where amazed and terrified at the same time. Saber was practically glowing. Gordon scanned the crowd to see a familiar face, it was Wu. The good doctor continued to talk about the Indominus as she stood there, flashing colors at them.

But soon the show was over and the people started to file out of the viewing room. They were muttering to themselves, impressed. Gordon wasn't sure how long Saber would be this jubilant, but he hoped it would last a long time. The little girl from before tugged on his lab coat, "You named her?" she seemed disappointed.

Gordon knelt down so that he was on her level, "I didn't name her, someone else did."

"Oh," the little girl pouted. But she brightened up immediately after, "She seems so happy! I guess the name really helped, huh?" She giggled as she wiggled her way through the crowd and left the viewing room.

Saber watched her go, mirth dancing in her crimson eyes. She was glad that the little girl was happy for her. She watched as two men approached the good doctor. One was… _"Father!"_ she cried out in joy.

Dr. Wu smiled at her, "A name… why did I never give you a name?" he pondered aloud. He shook his head, "As you requested, I saw one of her shows. She is so magnificent… breathtaking, I just don't know what to say."

Saber garbled at Wu, "She says thank you. Does this mean that you're willing to help her through her recovery?" Dr. Freeman asked tentatively.

"Yes… I guess I'll be there for her."

Gordon breathed out a sigh of relief, "That's good. She's already made progress… she's through step one." Wu smiled and left the viewing room. The second person who stayed behind walked up to the good doctor.

 _"_ _This one smells like me, but it hangs around him, not like Owen's,"_ Saber pointed out. She glared at the man, but turned away and stalked back into the brush.

"My name is Barry, I already know that your name is Dr. Freeman," the man said. He rubbed his arm nervously. "I, uh, work with Owen as a Raptor tamer. Although he does most of the work," he chuckled.

"I figured as much. Is he doing alright, by the way?" Gordon asked.

"He's fine…" Barry started before he began to tell his own story. Dr. Freeman was only half listening.

Because off in the distance, he heard the same roar from earlier. And this time, he understood what it said. It caused his blood to run cold, _"I am Dracul!"_ The massive Spinosaurus has taken an interest in Saber, _This can't end well,_ he thought.

XXX

Sam paused before entering the steakhouse. It was five o'clock sharp. She straightened her simple red dress and took a deep breath. She had been waiting all week for this moment. She walked into the restaurant and was pointed to the table where Owen sat.

He stood and pulled out her chair for her. He had decided on wearing a suit complete with a tie. "You look amazing," he complemented as he retook his seat.

"You as well," she replied. They received menus and immediately ordered wine and steaks, their specialty. They waited patiently for their food to come.

Sam noticed that Owen kept adverting his gaze. She chalked it up to nervousness, so she decided to break the tension, "I've never been on a date before."

Owen raised an eyebrow and finally looked at her, "Really?"

She chuckled, "Well, nothing I considered a date. I'm sure if you asked a few guys who knew me they'd tell you different."

Owen smiled and said, "Well I'm sure you know about the 'disaster date.' That's the only date I've been on in all of my years on this island." She just kept smiling, oblivious to Owen's inner turmoil. He knew that if he really wanted to stick with Sam, bringing up that she lied to him might not make a good impression. They'd cause a scene and it'd be the disaster date all over again. But this wasn't something Owen was willing to let go of.

Their food arrived and Sam dug in immediately. Owen didn't touch his. Sam, noticing his lack of enthusiasm, began to talk. Despite the fact that she was still chewing a piece of food, "Hey, is something wrong?"

Owen hesitated before quietly saying, "How long did you plan on lying to me?"

Sam swallowed the chunk of steak in her mouth practically whole in surprise. She went back to cutting up her food, hoping that he wouldn't notice the fact that she was sweating bullets, "I don't know what you mean."

"I know that you aren't really a veterinarian, Claire told me." Owen finally began to cut into his steak. He hacked at it viciously, not hiding his anger. Sam flinched when she heard the screeching of the metal blade on the polished porcelain plate.

Sam gulped audibly, "Yeah, I'm not. I am a geneticist." No point in hiding it if Owen already knew the truth. _Damn it, Claire, this is your fault,_ she thought.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Owen blurted out louder than he meant to. He cringed when several people looked over at him. He repeated what he had said quieter.

"We couldn't let you know… what Wu… we did wasn't exactly legal. We didn't want you to be caught up in all of this if things went south."

"But things did go south, didn't they. Whatever you did… it didn't work properly, did it?" Owen growled. He was half proud of himself for not exploding. If this was Wu in front of him, he wouldn't have doubted that he would've punched Wu's lights out.

"We don't know what went wrong! You were supposed to have full control. I'm sorry… Owen, but I didn't have much of a choice. I was Wu's apprentice at the time, even if I refused to help him, this would've still happened to you."

"You can stuff your sorry in a sack. I am scared and confused… I was attacked and made into this! And to make matters worse, I _still_ cannot connect to my Raptors, _even when I am one of them!_ " Owen hissed.

"Well I don't know why that is, and I can't help you there. Look, Owen, I know that I lied and I played a part in what happened to you and I know that you are angry, but I would just be happy if we could move past this," Sam pleaded.

"What about the other Raptors running around the island. I was attacked by one of them before I… _became this_. And Barry had an encounter with a rogue Raptor at the paddock yesterday," Owen clenched his fist, trying not to slam it down on the table. Dr. Freeman was right, being in a crowded area made him think twice about his words and actions.

"Owen, that Raptor _is you_. There are no rogue Raptors on this island, just you."

"I can't be two different Raptors, and I can't be one that attacks myself. There's a good chance that I am one of the rogue Raptors, but there is at least one more. So tell me, who is the other person who has become a wereraptor?"

Sam licked her lips nervously, "There was no one else. The only… uh, _wereraptor_ on this island is you."

Owen stood and said, "That's _bullshit_ , Sam. I know that there is another one, and I'm going to find out who." He pulled out his wallet and tossed a random amount of cash on the table. "Wu has been hiding from me like a coward, but know I know what you two did, I have the upper hand. I'll _make_ him tell me." And then he walked out of the restaurant.

Sam was left staring at the seat Owen had occupied, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. This wasn't at all how she had pictured their date. He had just walked out on her, refusing to even consider forgiveness. She sniffled slightly and waved for the check. Neither of them had finished even half of their meals.

Owen stormed outside. He was a man on a mission. Lightning flashed in the sky, a storm was coming. _How cliché,_ Owen snorted to himself. At least the skies reflected his anger. Now he was off to punch Wu in the jaw. And then strangle some answers from him.

XXX

Dr. Freeman walked into the control room. His piercing gaze scanned the room, looking for a certain person. He found him, sitting at his desk at the front of the room. He walked towards the desk, ignoring the people who attempted to stop him.

The man he was seeking was named Lowery. His desk was littered with plastic dinosaur figurines. "Lowery, I would like to be apprised of the integrity of the Spinosaurus paddock," he said.

Lowery just looked at him with a stupid expression on his face, "Uh, do I know you?"

Gordon rolled his eyes, "No, but that's not important. I know you, that's what is. I am aware that you keep an eye on all of the paddocks, I would like to know if the Spinosaurus paddock is functioning properly."

"Dude, that's creepy. Uh…" Lowery said as he typed a few things on his keyboard, "Spino paddock is up and operational like normal. May I at least ask your name?"

"Dr. Gordon Freeman, the Indominus caretaker. I hope that there are back-up generators for that specific paddock," the good doctor asked.

"Pleasure to meet you, I guess. No there aren't any back-up generators because his paddock is made up of solid walls, except…"

"Except the one that releases him further into the cretaceous cruise. Where he will slaughter all of the animals and then go on a war path, breaking through fences until he finds the one place that he can escape from."

"The front gate…" Lowery finished. Jurassic World had decided to place the Spinosaurus close to its cousins, the Baryonyx and the Suchomimus on the cretaceous cruise. Unfortunately, all of the animals are only separated from the humans by electric fences, and the Spino was no exception. Even though his fence had the most juice of any fence on the park, if the power went out, it was goodbye Jurassic World. "Any particular reason why you have suddenly become so paranoid?"

"There is a storm coming tonight, and Jurassic World has a bad reputation with storms," the good doctor explained. Lowery gulped audibly, "But there is something that you can help me with. You can come with me and get a simple back-up generator connected to his fence."

"Why can't the construction team do it?" Lowery complained. He was terrified of leaving the safety of control.

"Because they would take an hour to get the generator ready to go and another hour to put it in. We don't have two hours. I've already got the generator and all of the tools in my truck, I just need a hand and we can be in and out in less than twenty minutes," Gordon explained.

"But why me?" Lowery whined.

"I need someone slower than me to act as bait for the other dinosaurs that might or might not be there with us," Gordon said with a straight face. He burst out laughing at Lowery's expression. "No, I'm just kidding… okay partially kidding. You already know the best place to put the generator and I know that you can open the back door through your phone… plus I could use a helping hand."

"How'd you know about that?" Lowery asked. It was an experimental app that he had designed for his phone. It connected to his computer at control and allowed him access to basically anywhere in the park. It was only in testing and he hadn't done anything more than unlock the lab door when one of the employees couldn't find Wu, who had the key. It could fail spectacularly.

Gordon smirked, "There's no time for that, come on, we've got a generator to install before the storm hits!" He grabbed Lowery and dragged him out of the control room, the other employees waving at him sympathetically as he went.

XXX

 **So what do you all think? I would just like to clarify that the first three "sections" of the story all happened at the exact same time. That's why there's some overlap between the roarings, in case you became confused by all of that. A big storm is brewing, Sam's date with Owen ended in disaster (like we all knew it would), and Owen has a personal vendetta against Wu. Oh, and the Spinosaurus is coming for the Indominus… if he can escape, that is! On a lighter note, I'm getting a new laptop Saturday! So I'll be moving most of my data from this laptop to my new one, so I may or may not be posting on Friday and Saturday depending on how easy it is to transfer the data. But I will post tomorrow! So do not fret. So, I once again ask you to send me names! This time for the Spino Rex. Take into account that it is a male when thinking of them. Don't be afraid to comment names or send them directly to me via PM!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8 - Nefarious:

Author's Note:

 **I would like to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I got my new laptop, but when I tried to transfer everything over… I lost basically everything. So I had to dig up my old laptop and keep working from there, it still had everything. Then I started to run out of time… this week has just been a mess. Anyways, my I'm trying to transfer everything to my new laptop again, but I for now I will continue typing on my old laptop… On a side note, those of you who had enjoyed my daily updating will be disappointed. I got a job this summer (finally). I'm doing research at my university's lab, extremely interesting stuff, by the way. So I will be occupied with that, but I will do my best to post at least weekly. And I'm not sure how much more is left of this story, some of the chapters I've had in mind are being cut in two and some are being combined… let's just say there is between ten and twenty chapters of this story total. I don't know exactly yet, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you all (It'd spoil it, wouldn't it?)! By the way, still waiting for names for the Spino Rex, keep 'em coming!**

XXX

Wu wasn't at the lab, which confused Owen. Owen had stood there for an hour, waiting for Wu to come it, he never did. Neither did Sam. Owen waited until the other geneticists began to file out before finally leaving the labs. He wasn't going to give up, definitely not.

Owen had no idea where Wu lived, and he wasn't about to go and ask Claire. Wait, Dr. Freeman must know. How else did the Indominus find out about his condition? Owen got into his ATV and headed towards the Indominus paddock. Lightning was flashing in the sky and thunder boomed in the distance, but it didn't start to rain until he got to the paddock.

It started as a soft pitter-patter of raindrops before escalating quickly to a gentle downpour. Owen angrily stomped towards the stairs leading up to the viewing room. He halted when he saw Wu finishing his descent of the stairs. "Wu!" he called out.

Wu whirled around to face Owen just in time for his fist to smash into Wu's face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Wu slipped on the ground. It had begun to turn muddy, which stained his lab coat brown.

Wu wiped his jaw, which stung a great deal. Nothing was broken, thankfully. "You'll have to be more specific," he winced as he stood. He wobbled slightly.

"Why am I suddenly a wereraptor?" Owen shouted over the rain. It was coming down harder and harder. A tropical storm was coming through Isla Nublar. Owen threw another punch, this time at Wu's stomach.

The breath was knocked out of Wu, but he didn't go down. "I gave you what you wanted didn't I? You can understand your Raptors now, can't you?" Wu tried to retaliate by hitting Owen, but Owen easily sidestepped the blow. Owen countered with a quick jab to the jaw again.

"You could've at least told me what was going on! Now something's gone wrong and I have _zero control_ over this!" Owen knocked him down onto the wet ground. Both men were now soaking wet and the rain wasn't letting up.

"I don't know what went wrong! I decided to keep you out of the loop to _protect_ you," Wu tried to get up, but he was knocked back down by Owen.

"What about Sam, huh? Is she not worth protecting? And you've got her lying to me… which puts her in the same book as you," Owen said. He pinned Wu to the ground, sitting on his chest. Owen considered placing his hands around Wu's throat to choke him. But that would come after all of his questions have been answered.

"Sam chose to help me, I didn't tell her to lie to you, only that you cannot know the whole truth."

Owen snorted, "It doesn't matter. Who is the other wereraptor on this island? I know one of the rogue Raptors running around is me, so who is the other?" Wu remained silent. "I can just turn you two in, how about that?"

"You don't have any proof. You don't have any control over your condition, and that's the only way you can prove anything to anyone," Wu growled out. He kneed Owen in the gut and managed to roll back onto his feet after Owen keeled over. His lab coat fell off, but he didn't notice.

"That doesn't mean that they won't investigate, it'd only be a matter of time," Owen hissed out, standing back up. Wu tried to knock him back over by kicking him. Owen ignored the slight throbbing in his back where Wu's foot came into contact.

The air sizzled as a bolt of lightning struck one of the trees near the paddock. A loud clap of thunder immediately followed, drowning out the sound of Owen's yelling. The tree fell over and caught fire, but it was put out immediately by the heavy rain. Owen and Wu continued fighting, though it was mostly Owen beating the hell out of Wu.

The storm raged on and then the lights in the viewing room went out. The fight stopped when all of the lights around the paddock shut off at the same time. They were in complete darkness, except for the occasional flash of lightning. Their fight halted and they stood, breathing heavily across, from each other. The power had gone out.

"Oh, that's not good," Wu said. The area lit up for a moment and he saw Owen charge him. He didn't have enough time to react. Owen grabbed him and threw him violently to the ground again. Wu rolled out of the way when Owen tried to pin him there.

Light flashed again and Wu attempted to strike Owen. Owen had let his guard down and brought his hand up to his head, as if he was starting to get a headache. Wu's punch actually managed to hit him, causing him to go down. Wu watched as Owen writhed on the ground, grasping his head. Wu's eyes widened when Owen suddenly leapt to his feet and _screeched_ at him.

He was transforming! Owen's eyes had begun to turn blue and claws were beginning to sprout from his fingers. Wu took this opportunity to run to his vehicle. Owen had dropped to one knee as the transformation continued to wrack through him. Wu managed to drive away before the transformation was complete. Owen had once again turned into a Raptor, but this time, he was out for blood. He gave chase to Wu's fleeing vehicle.

XXX

Lowery panted as he and Dr. Freeman carried the small generator into the cretaceous cruise. Lowery had opened the side door from his phone and they walked in without a hitch. The generator, though small, was more weight than he had ever carried in his life. "Couldn't we have asked someone else to help us?" Lowery asked.

"Not enough time," the good doctor replied as he set the generator down next to the paddock. The rain was just starting to pick up. Gordon grabbed a few cables from the small generator and handed them to Lowery, "Here, wire this into the paddock's electric gate. I'll stand guard." He pulled the shotgun off of his back and pumped it.

Lowery began working immediately, trying to get out of the attraction as fast as possible. Although the power hadn't gone off yet, the storm was getting very strong. It could go off any minute. It only took Lowery twenty minutes to get the generator wired in, "It's done!"

Gordon checked over the wiring, "Yes, it is." He cranked the generator to turn it on. Although the generator would provide power to the gate, it would not be able to put out enough power to completely stop the Spinosaurus. The current gate was juiced up with enough power to knock the beast onto its side. The generator might be able to pump out a third of that power, if lucky.

If the power went out, the generator would only be able to deter the Spino, not stop him. If he was able to determine that he could still crash through the gate, he would do it. "Are we going?" Lowery called over the rain. The wind had begun to howl, drowning out all of the dinosaurs.

Gordon held up his hand, "Wait for it," he called out. There was a loud **BOOM!** and the power went out. They had made it in time. Lowery smiled when the Spinosaurus' gate continued to crackle with electricity. They had made it in time.

Lowery became increasingly worried when Dr. Freeman began taking large steps backwards and pointing his gun up into the air. "Run," he ordered. As he spoke those words, the massive Spinosaurus smashed through the gate. _It didn't work,_ Lowery paled.

Gordon rushed forward to meet the Spinosaurus, firing as he went, "Run, you idiot!" The Spino roared, but seemed to trip over something, bringing it to the ground. Lowery hesitated before running. That's right, he had to get the door open. He whipped out his phone and opened it. The rain was coming down harder and harder.

His glasses were completely wet, he had to take them off. Thankfully, his vision wasn't _that_ bad without them. It was a different story for Dr. Freeman. He couldn't see two feet in front of him without his glasses, and the rain has effectively blinded him. The rain clouded Lowery's phone, but he managed to find his app just fine.

He ran to the door, jumping each time Gordon fired his gun. The shotgun was loaded with the same tranquilizers that the Indominus used, but they were only so effective against her. Gordon had hoped they would be more effective against the smaller Spino, but that was proving to be false. The Spinosaurus was just too filled with rage to go down quietly. Lowery got to the door and opened it, "Hey, the door is open!" he called back.

Gordon was having his own problems though. Being effectively blind, he was stumbling around the Spino, doing his best to dodge his frantic strikes. Thankfully the ground was too muddy for the massive beast to lift itself up while trying to strike the good doctor. Gordon was scrambling over the Spino's chest, shooting it in its softer underbelly and working his way up towards its neck. He slid off of the Spino just as its jaws snapped where he was.

 **BOOM!** Gordon had fired off the last shell in his shotgun. He finally heard Lowery's shouting and he booked it around the Spino's back. Dracul swung his tail at Gordon, but he leapt over it and then ducked when the tail came sailing back overhead. It was impressive to watch. Gordon had ducked and dodged all of the Spino's attacks as if he already knew where they were going to land. He almost didn't need to see.

The Spino busied itself with getting back on its feet while Gordon booked it back over to Lowery, who was holding the door open. They didn't exchange words as Gordon passed by him just as Dracul got back on his feet and let out a ferocious roar. Lowery slammed the door shut and breathed heavily, "Well that didn't work," he said.

Gordon took a deep breath, calming his nerves, "I didn't think that it would. I just wanted to try, it was better than doing nothing." He started to walk back to his truck.

"Better than nothing, you almost got killed! Me too…" Lowery said.

"I know, we have to alert ACU immediately. Hopefully we can contain him before he manages to get out of the cruise," Dr. Freeman said, shutting the door to his truck. He paused to wipe his glasses off so he could actually see. Lowery did the same.

XXX

The red Raptor picked up his pace. He was in pursuit of Wu's car and he was falling behind. He wasn't sure why he was chasing the car, but he remembered that it had hurt him. Or something inside of the car hurt him. He at least knew what the car was, but he wasn't sure who was in it.

He ran faster. The rain didn't slow him down at all. Although the ground became muddy, he used his claws to grip, the car didn't have that luxury. It was approaching a turn and it slowed down a great deal to avoid running off the road. That was Raptor's chance. He circled the car and leapt through the passenger's window with a screech.

The person inside of the vehicle panicked and slammed on the brakes, tossing the Raptor out of the windshield with a loud crash. The red Raptor managed to right himself and move just as the car passed over where he was lying. He screeched in frustration and continued pursuit. The car accelerated as fast as it could, but could not outrun the Raptor. The person inside the car suddenly hit the brakes and did a 180 degree turn.

The Raptor wiped out on the muddy ground and the car gained some distance. Whoever was in the car had a chance to escape! The Raptor struggled to his feet again and once again began running. But the car was too far away and going too fast for him to catch up. It was no use, he had to fall back and follow from a distance.

There was no sense in burning all of his energy running after something he cannot catch. He would be able to track the car and attack again when it stopped. Something screamed at him that the car would have to stop eventually, it was heading towards a dead end. But the weather made it difficult to keep track of the vehicle, even to the Raptor, so he kept his pace up to not loose visual.

As the Raptor predicted, the car did come to a stop. But he arrived too late to get the person inside. The car had stopped in front of a large cage. _Whoever I'm chasing must have run inside,_ the red Raptor rationed. He wasn't sure why the car stopped here, or why the person decided it would be best to hide from him. _"You can run but you can't hide,"_ he chittered to himself.

XXX

 _"_ _Curse my lack of grip,"_ Lowery thought. He would've called control and asked them to get ACU, but his phone must've slipped out of his hand when he was running out the door. Which was bad because it was still in the attraction… with a rampaging Spinosaurus. Lowery forgot about his phone the moment he rushed into control.

"Get ACU ready. The Spinosaurus has escaped!" he shouted. Control flew into action. ACU was alerted and they were gearing up. Lowery had sat back down at his desk and pulled up the Cretaceous Cruise's cameras. Control had several backup generators at its disposal, even during a power outage, it was still able to operate the cameras. It was still difficult to see with the rain, but they could make out the huge Spino marching towards the exit.

"It might actually be best to let him get out of the Cruise, ACU will have the advantage if they aren't fighting in close quarters," Claire said, stepping off of the elevator. She marched up to the front of control and stood next to Lowery. "Tell control to ambush him the moment he exits the Cruise. I want minimal casualties on this one!"

"Got it," Lowery said and relayed the message to ACU. They had finished preparing and had gathered their best soldiers inside of three armored trucks. Lowery was tracking them on the big screen. "Target will reach the gate in T-minus five minutes!"

"This is commander Hamada, control, we're armed only with the Rex tranquilizers," Hamada said on the other line. There were three different tranquilizers, the Raptor tranquilizers which dealt with most of the smaller animals, Rex tranquilizers which dealt with everything from a Trike to a Rex, and then the Indominus tranquilizers which were designed specifically for the Indominus. But the Spino was too big for the Rex tranquilizers to have much of an effect, as ACU had learned nearly a week ago on Isla Sorna when trying to bring the beast back then.

"And in that a problem, commander?" Claire asked. It did not look good on ACU's record if they weren't prepared to contain every animal on this island.

"Yes Claire, the Spino is already used to the Rex tranqs, they may be completely ineffective. I have sent a detachment to bring us more Indominus tranqs, but they may be too late to save us when they arrive," the commander said grimly. As if he was expecting to die. But that doesn't look good on their record either.

"Dr. Freeman had a shotgun full of Indominus tranquilizers, he had managed to hit his mark each time, hopefully that will make a difference. The Spino is already slowing down," Lowery said.

"T-minus two minutes to the target," the commander said.

"Target is T-minus four minutes to the gate, you'll only have a few minutes to set up," Lowery said. Hopefully the Rex tranquilizers will have some effect, but somehow Lowery doubted that they will. He saw the Spino up close, and even though he was slowing down, it didn't seem like enough to make a difference.

XXX

Wu breathed heavily in the Indominus viewing room. He had seen Owen the moment he got to the door of the viewing room. Curse the door for not having a lock. _Maybe Owen has forgotten to open doors,_ Wu thought sarcastically. Though, Wu supposed it made sense not to have locks on the Indominus viewing room doors. If something happened, people will be wanting out, not in.

He had turned around and headed back towards the paddock because he realized that heading towards Main Street would've been a terrible idea. He had only two options at the moment, though. It was either head towards Main Street and let ACU capture Owen, and then have his secret revealed. He would then be arrested and discredited for human experimentation.

Or he could head back to the Indominus paddock and hope that Owen was still afraid of the Indominus to an extent that it effected his Raptor form. When he saw the door handle begin to turn, his hopes were dashed. Doom set in as the door burst open and Owen charged right in. Though he stopped right in front of Wu.

Wu's mind ran a mile a minute, how does he get out of this one? Perhaps it was better to be arrested and still be alive. _No… that's the coward's way out,_ Wu thought. He had given up being a coward. Living a life in prison and having everything you've ever accomplished torn apart by the media was no way to live a life. If he were to die, at least he would die facing his glorious accomplishment.

Fate was cruel in that way. _Or is it?_ Wu thought. Fate was cruel, but not to Wu, to Owen. He had been a victim in all of this, perhaps this is revenge. Or Karma. But Owen was not attacking, no he was only watching. Glaring at him. Wu was almost convinced that Owen was waiting for him to try and explain himself, but that would make no sense.

Owen was now a Raptor in every sense of the word. There was no reasoning with him, no begging, and no escape. He was just taunting Wu, playing with his food like a cat would. Wu stood up as straight as he could, waiting for his death.

He was surprised when Owen took several steps back. He heard a loud **CRASH!** and a whoosh of air. Something huge grabbed ahold of him and pulled him out of the viewing room and into the paddock. It was Saber! _She has come to save me,_ Wu thought.

Saber stamped her foot as loud as she could and let loose her loudest roar. It echoed throughout the little paddock and seemed to throw Owen backwards with its sheer force. It carried a simple message, _"LEAVE!"_ And Owen left with his tail between his legs. There was no way he could go toe-to-toe with Saber.

Wu stared at his beautiful creation, _So this is what not being a coward can get me…_ He looked at the hand that held his frail form so gently. It seemed as if smashing through the glass had caused no damage to the tough scales. That was a relief, he didn't want her hurting himself for him.

Saber stared at the spot Owen stood for a solid minute. She realized who it was, she recognized his scent. She had a feeling that Wu knew too. But she had managed to scare him away, and she doubted that he would come back anytime soon. So she set Wu back into the viewing room, carefully.

He collapsed almost immediately to his knees. He was passing out. Was it from fear or from relief? He could not tell. But right before darkness took over, he saw Dr. Freeman enter the room and say, "What the hell happened here?" and then his eyes closed.

XXX

Gordon knew that ACU did not have any of the Indominus tranquilizers. Because he had taken them all. It made no sense to keep the Indominus tranquilizers at the ACU barracks if the Indominus was right here. But that was a lie.

In truth, Gordon didn't need any of the tranquilizers to stop the Indominus. Mostly because he knew Saber wasn't going to rampage, but also because she would respond to reason. And he still had an ace up his sleeve if things went terribly wrong. Gordon just didn't want ACU to be using these tranquilizers on the Indominus for no reason when he could stop her by himself. And because it was dangerous if the tranqs got mixed up and they hit something smaller than the Spino or the Indominus with them. Hell, multiple Indominus tranqs could even put Rexy down for good.

But in hindsight, ACU members are professionals. He could've let them keep most of them. But he had to admit that he couldn't see the Spino escaping until it was too late. But it really wasn't his fault, he wasn't looking. The Spino paddock had even thicker walls than the Indominus' and had an electric gate that could kill a T-Rex in its prime. He could sense the storm and knew the Spino was planning to escape, but the generator he grabbed wasn't enough. If the Spino wiped ACU out… it was his fault entirely.

Which was why he was heading back to Saber's paddock. He hoped he had enough time to right his wrong. He was brought out of his thinking when he heard Saber roar. Time seemed to slow as he watched a red Raptor run past him. It was Owen!

It bolted past him, not even bothering to look at him. Dr. Freeman briefly considered pursuing Owen, but decided against it. He had lives to save. He climbed the stairs to the viewing room and entered to find the window broken and Wu lying on the ground. "What the hell happened here?" he asked.

Wu didn't answer, he couldn't. He passed out. _"Owen came and attacked Wu. I managed to scare him off,"_ Saber explained.

"So you broke the glass… that's going to be a pain to fix," Gordon grumbled to himself. He leaned down next to Wu and checked him over. _He's fine, just absolutely terrified._ He turned back towards the Indominus, "Don't you think there was a reason Owen was trying to kill Wu?"

 _"_ _So? I could not just let him take father from me,"_ Saber responded.

"I know, I am not reprimanding you, I just want you to know that Owen has the right to be angry at Wu. Wu is the reason Owen is like this, I just want you to know that if Owen manages to actually kill Wu… it isn't your fault and it does not give you the right to kill Owen in return," Gordon said. He walked past his desk and opened up the closet door.

 _"_ _I know that,"_ Saber huffed. She hated it when Gordon treated her like a child.

Dr. Freeman only smirked and walked into the closet. It was much bigger than one would think. He fought his way through all of the clutter and extra chairs until he reached the back wall. He pulled a key from his pocket. _If anytime was the best for a test-run, it would be now,_ he thought as he unlocked the back door. The Spino wouldn't stand a chance against this prototype… unless it didn't work. And his efforts would all be for naught if ACU was wiped out.

XXX

 **So many questions left to answer! I had considered putting this chapter and the next together, but I decided that it would be best apart. And it adds a cliffhanger! So much fun. So, will ACU survive? Will Dr. Freeman make it in time? Where is Owen heading? And what the hell is Gordon's secret weapon? All will be answered in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9 - Imbroglio:

Author's note:

 **I'm so sorry, time just got away from me, didn't it? But here it is, the next chapter of Tedium. Alright, let's hop right on in!**

XXX

 _Peace... he was finally at peace. He observed his surroundings. He was on a tranquil beach, water gently lapping at the sand. The sun was setting, casting bright colors across the sky. "Am I dead," he wondered aloud._

 _If he was dead then this must be the afterlife. But there was no one to meet him here. He was alone on the beach. So he sat down in the sand and closed his eyes. He never had much time to just relax when he was alive._

 _He had never actually meditated before. He never really felt the need to, and he really didn't have the time. But he had time now. So he sat in the sand with his eyes closed and just meditated. And he meditated and meditated until it felt like hours had passed._

 _He slowly opened his eyes, expecting the sun to have gone down. It hadn't. It was still setting in the sky, almost mocking him. He could have sworn he was meditating for several hours, but the sun said differently. Then a thought came to mind, he must have no perception of time in this place. Which made sense, he supposed. He would be here for the rest of eternity, but he wouldn't be able to tell if an hour or a century had passed._

 _If this was actually purgatory, then where was God? Shouldn't he have been greeted by a divine being? Sure, he had never believed in God, in his own mind, he was more Godly than God. He had always thought there would just be nothing, but he wouldn't actually "exist" to comprehend it. But this strange beach begged to differ, but yet, there was no God._

 _Or maybe he wasn't actually dead. But then where was he? He didn't exactly remember the last thing he had done, but he was fairly certain he had dropped to the floor. Maybe he was just dreaming, but then why wouldn't he wake up? "Hello?" he asked out loud, as if expecting an answer. If he_ _was_ _dead, and this_ _was_ _purgatory, then perhaps there were others here. Then he wouldn't have to be alone._

 _Being alone was actually the worst, he realized. Throughout his life, he had claimed that being alone never affected him, he worked "alone," he lived "alone," and he died "alone." But he was starting to recover his memories, and he knew these statements to be lies. He had never truly been alone. There was Sam, who had worked faithfully by his side for so long. And although no one lived at his house with him, he was hardly ever there, he mostly spent time at his lab... with Sam. And he technically didn't die alone either._

 _Yes... Saber was there with him. His memory was still fuzzy, but he knew Saber was there with him. He had a daughter. Although she wasn't made the conventional way, she was his flesh and blood. She was perhaps his greatest accomplishment. Even when stacked up against his other God-like achievements._

 _Lonesomeness was starting to set in like an abyss. He was never really alone in his real life, he just pretended he was. It was sad and pathetic, really. How did people withstand this crushing feeling? As if he was drowning. His call had gone unanswered. There was no one else here. If this was purgatory, then perhaps each person gets their own personal beach. Or maybe it's different for each person._

 _Or perhaps, however unlikely, he was the only person in purgatory. Everyone else had either gone to heaven or hell, and that is why he suffered alone. Or perhaps he was the one in hell, and he was being tricked. A cruel trick at that, but one of the most painful ways to suffer through eternity was being alone._

 _He stood up quickly. There was no way he could last an eternity here alone. There had to be something to do, something to accomplish. He paced nervously around the beach. It seemed to stretch infinitely in each direction. And it was empty, there were no rocks, no shells, no animals, and no trees. No life of any kind. Just the sand and the water._

 _Maybe there was something he had missed. Maybe he just needed to find a way to summon God. That might work... he was slowly descending into madness. He tried digging a large hole first. But each time he tried to scoop up some sand, it phased right through his hands. As if he was in some computer simulation. He tried drawing in the sand next, perhaps he just needed to ask for help. But each symbol he drew disappeared as quickly as it came._

 _He was at a loss, and rapidly approaching the brink of madness. He had one last idea. And it was easily the stupidest of them all. He remembered that people would shout to their dying loved ones, "don't go into the light." Perhaps the solution was to head towards the light. He waded into the water and swam towards the sun._

 _He didn't swim much when he was alive, which was why he seemed to be making such slow progress. Unlike the sand, the water felt real. He floated in it and he could propel himself through it. But he didn't feel wet. The water was not wet for some reason. He ignored it and kept swimming. He would find a solution later._

 _He swam and swam and swam but he was no closer to the sun. "Idiot," he said to himself, "The sun is in the sky, why did I think I could reach it?" He wasn't supposed to reach it, he was just supposed to get closer to the light. But all he has accomplished was losing the beach. Now he was trapped in an endless sea of blue._

 _He tried to turn around, but he had gotten disoriented and lost the way to the beach. He must have been swimming for hours... or maybe days. He couldn't tell, he wasn't getting tired and the sun wasn't going any further down. So he kept swimming towards the sun. Maybe if he got directly underneath it, something would happen._

 _Something strange started to happen as he continued to swim. There was a new object in the sky. It was white and he could see the craters on its surface. It was the moon. And it was drifting towards the sun. There was going to be an eclipse._

 _That made him swim faster. Something told him that if he did not solve this puzzle by the time the eclipse happened, it would be lights out for him. The sky became darker and darker until the moon covered the sun, and it was pitch black. He didn't make it in time._

 _He waited for the inevitable to happen, but he was still floating in the water. His eyebrows scrunched together, confused. Maybe there was no puzzle... perhaps he should've stayed on the beach. But it was too late to be thinking that. He had lost the sun, and with it, his sense of direction. He could've been out here a thousand years and not known it. Who knows when the sun will return to guide him?_

 _Suddenly, the world began to shake. The water began to retreat around him. His feet touched something solid... it was another beach. But this time, it had an end in sight. An island had just surfaced beneath his feet. He didn't question why it happened, he was just happy he was no longer floating. He would wait for the sun to re-emerge before continuing._

 _Slowly, it became brighter and brighter. But not with the fierce red of the sun. Instead, it was the gentle white shine of the moon. Somehow, the sun had moved during the eclipse and was gone. His brain tried to comprehend it, but he decided a different question was more important, "Should I wait for the sun, or should I keep going using the moon?"_

 _He didn't have time to answer. As he thought, the moon became blocked by clouds. Light was taken from him again. The clouds were dimly lit by the moon, but it was not nearly enough to consider continuing his journey. The clouds grew darker and darker until they looked like thunderclouds... and the moon's light was completely quenched._

 _There was a bright_ _ **flash!**_ _and a bolt of purple lightning struck the island. Electricity crackled in the air, but he was unharmed. The clouds quickly dispersed, leaving the moon to light the world once again. "The moon doesn't make its own light, it reflects the sun," he mused aloud. But he wasn't completely sure now. He had no idea where the sun had gone, it was as if it had just disappeared. Perhaps this moon made its own light, but he wasn't quite sure there was a real answer._

 _He investigated the place the lightning had struck. It had managed to leave a crater when he could not even leave a dent. Even his footprints didn't show up in the sand. The crater was still smoking, but it looked safe otherwise. He approached the crater cautiously._

 _He jumped back when something crawled out of the crater. It left a thin trail of smoke behind it when it walked towards him. His eyes widened, he recognized this creature. It was Dr. Freeman! Why was he here? Was he dead too? Instead of voice those questions, he could only say, "I'm not alone."_

 _Or perhaps this was God taking a familiar form. But before he could ask, Dr. Freeman spoke,_ _ **"Dr. Wu?"**_

 _"Are you God?" he asked._

 ** _"Not exactly,"_** _Gordon chuckled as if this wasn't the first time he had been mistaken for God before. He was wearing his normal attire, but he was missing his glasses. The lack of glasses seemed to suit Dr. Freeman rather well. There was nothing to distract from his unnatural violet eyes. It gave him a wild, violent look that, when combined with a sharp scowl, showed he was a man on a mission. Or that he was about ready to kill someone out of annoyance._

 _The longer Wu stared into Gordon's eyes, the weirder things became, as if Gordon's mere presence distorted this world. Stars began to blink into existence. Some were dim and some shone with intense brilliance that would have distracted from the moon if they were any closer. The water began to lap at Wu's feet, the sea was reclaiming the small island. But the water was no longer the soft blue color, it was a harsh red, like someone had died in it. "You aren't supposed to be here," Wu realized._

 _Gordon didn't answer for a moment as the scenery continued to change. The moon was turning a rich purple color, making the night sky even darker, allowing even the dimmest starts to shine just as bright as the brightest had earlier. They seemed to approaching him too, as if he had been put inside the Millennium Falcon going into light speed. The moon had changed positions too, it was now directly above him. The island had moved while he had been staring at Dr. Freeman_ _ **. "No,"**_ _Gordon admitted,_ _ **"But, I'm helping speed this along."**_

 _The sun was starting to rise behind Wu. But it didn't cast the same red color as before. No, it was a mix of greens and yellows that hurt Wu's head. "What's going on? What are you talking about?" Wu cried out, clutching his aching head. A beam of light shone down upon Wu and Gordon from the purple moon._

 _The ground began to rumble and the entire island flew up from the water, the light from the moon acting like some sort of tractor beam._ _ **"It's time to wake up,"**_ _Dr. Freeman said. The island flew faster towards the moon. Wu only held his head tighter, as if his hands were the only thing keeping his brain from tearing in two._ _ **"Wake up!"**_ _Gordon commanded again, walking towards Wu. He placed his hand on Wu's head and closed his eyes._

Wu's eyes snapped open. He remembered now, he had passed out. After Owen had transformed and attacked him. He felt something kick him, "Wake up." It was Dr. Freeman! That was a very weird dream.

Wu rolled over and stood slowly, "I'm up. How long was I out?" He rubbed his eyes.

"You weren't out for very long," Dr. Freeman said. Wu turned around to look at the man who had been kicking him. The first thing that Wu noticed was the large gun slung over his shoulder.

"Is that…" Wu started.

"A minigun? Yes," Gordon finished. Tranquilizer darts with purple feathers were draped over his shoulders. He looked like the Punisher… if the Punisher wore a lab coat. He was also not wearing his glasses.

 _"_ _Was that intended for me?"_ Saber growled. Wu flinched when he saw that the Indominus had stuck her head inside the viewing room.

"Originally, but you know I don't need this to stop you," Gordon replied. He walked over to his desk and opened one of the drawers.

 _"_ _Do you even know how to work that thing?"_ Saber hissed.

"No, but that's why I have the instructions," Gordon said, pulling out a sheet of paper from his desk. He laid the paper down flat and began to read from it. Taking one of the ends of the strip of darts, he pushed it into a slot on the side of the minigun. It fit in perfectly. He lightly pulled the trigger, causing the barrel to rotate briefly, "Ah, there we go," he exclaimed.

 _"_ _That's it?"_ Saber deadpanned. She was expecting something… more.

"Don't be fooled by its simple appearance, this minigun can fire darts at nearly five hundred rounds per minute. That's over eight rounds per second," Gordon said. Saber only snorted. "Come on, you're driving," Gordon said, pulling Wu along with him.

"Why?" was all Wu could muster as he was dragged out of the lab. He couldn't help but think about his dream, Gordon was there. He had thought that his mind had projected Gordon because he was the one trying to wake him. But he had a nagging feeling that the thought was wrong. After all, he had never seen the good doctor without his glasses on, yet that's how he appeared in his dream. Wu wasn't sure if that was coincidence or not.

 _"_ _It's so boring here… I wonder when they'll let me out,"_ Saber mused to herself. She pulled her head out of the viewing room and stomped off to her nest. She could hear Dracul's roars in the distance. They called for blood. Saber found it harder and harder to resist the call herself, finally she let out her own roar, _"Happy hunting!"_

XXX

The red Raptor rushed through the brush. He had no idea what that thing was inside that paddock but he was sure glad it seemed trapped there. He did notice that she smelled like him… but she looked nothing like him. It did not help that she had almost taken his head off.

He kept running. It was not worth going back and seeing if he could catch the man he was after. He struggled to remember why he wanted to kill the man, but he knew that it was important.

He wasn't sure where he was supposed to go. He looked behind him, slowing to a halt. That's right, that thing was still in her cage, she could not give chase. Why was he so afraid of what could never catch him? There was no way that he could be dragged back to her.

Unless… that man that he had passed when running from her cage. That man had not been the least bit surprised by his appearance. In fact, the man looked about ready to give chase! The red Raptor's instincts had screamed "stay away!" The man with purple eyes was dangerous.

The Raptor clicked his large claw against the ground. That's a habit that he didn't remember… oh that's right. He remembered now, the four Raptors stuck in a cage. He was supposed to free them! How had he forgotten? He hoped that they wouldn't be too mad at him.

The Raptor stuck his nose in the air, trying to catch their scent like he did before. But the rain was coming down too hard, it was impossible to smell anything. He gave up trying to smell them and started to think instead. He remembered back to the day he met them, he had smelled the White One then too. If he remembered correctly, the White One was located directly behind him when the other Raptors were directly in front of him.

So the red Raptor took a deep breath and continued going straight. He would run into the clearing eventually. He decided against running. Although he could see just fine in the dark, the rain made it difficult to keep reliable traction. The forest thickened ahead and he didn't want to run into any trees.

He walked for several minutes until he finally reached a clearing. He paused before walking out into the opening. He remembered that there were men last time. Instinct told him that he didn't want to get caught.

Although his night-vision was working fine, the rain made it harder and harder to see at a distance. He could see their paddock just fine, it was much too big to miss, but there were several blobs circling the paddock that he couldn't make out. He was sure the blobs were humans. If they were unarmed, then when they saw him, they should run.

But if they were armed, they would open fire on him. He wasn't sure how many humans there were, or if they were armed. Was it worth the risk? The red Raptor dug his claws into the muddy ground and squinted to try and make out the blobs. But it was hopeless.

The best he could tell was that there were only two guards on this side of the paddock. Of course he had no idea _which_ side of the paddock he was on. One of the guards was walking away from him, with his back to him, but the other one was motionless. There was a chance that this blob wasn't actually a human.

The red Raptor decided to take that chance and make his move. If he couldn't see well in the heavy rain, he doubted that the humans could see any better. He decided to attack the one with his back to him. If the other blob _was_ a guard, he shouldn't be able to react in time to save himself.

XXX

 _God, I hope this works,_ commander Hamada thought as he and the rest of ACU deployed. They surrounded the entrance to the Cretaceous Cruise, leaving plenty of room for the Spino to maneuver. They didn't want to be crushed. "Five seconds," Hamada said out loud to prepare his team.

Several of the ACU knew firsthand how dangerous the Spino was. They had watched as their brothers in arms had been killed by the beast on Isla Sorna. Hamada knew that Wu had wanted a DNA sample of the Spino, but he thought bringing the beast here was an awful idea. He knew that he would eventually be fighting the damn thing after it had escaped, he had been dreading it all week.

"Three… two…one…" Hamada said. ACU crouched low, preparing themselves for the upcoming battle. They could not let the Spino go any further. If it retreated back into the Cruise, then they could just have construction put in a bigger gate, trapping the beast inside at least for a while. Long enough so they could go and get bigger tranquilizers.

The gate to the Cretaceous Cruise was a flimsy thing when compared to some of the paddocks in Jurassic World. It was actually two swinging doors that connected and were held together by a magnetic lock. The doors were made from steel only a half a foot thick. Because a river ran right through the cruise, the doors did not touch the ground.

The doors would open inwards to allow boats and other watercraft inside before shutting and sealing, but the Spino easily forced the doors open outwards. One of the doors flew off its hinges while the other one bent far out of commission. The Spino let out a victory roar, but ACU did not open fire. The Spino had not detected them yet, they still had the element of surprise.

ACU waited for the large Spino to lumber into their kill zone. The moment the Spino stepped into the zone, Hamada opened fire. The moment he pulled the trigger, the other ACU soldiers fired as well. Every single dart they fired out of their gun hit the Spino, who quickly became enraged. "Move!" Hamada shouted.

He and the soldiers around him stood and began to maneuver around the battlefield. They ran circles around the beast, careful of the muddy ground, hoping to confuse it. The rain impacted the Spino's vision as it failed to swipe away several ACU members. They kept firing at it, even after it grabbed two of the soldiers.

Fire. Pump. Fire. Pump. Fire. Pump. Hamada kept his gun working until he ran out of darts. He cursed and jumped out of the way just in time. The Spino's large claws swiped over where he just was. The beast was disoriented, but it wasn't enough to save four of the soldiers.

Hamada tossed the used shotgun to the ground and pulled the second one off of his back. The ACU shotguns were difficult to reload. They basically had to be taken apart for a new clip to be put in. Which was why many of the ACU opted to carry a second shotgun on their backs for emergencies. And the Spino was not slowing down despite tanking hundreds of tranquilizers.

 **WHAM! SMASH! SNAP!** The Spino was actually speeding up. It had learned ACU's little running pattern and managed to catch several of them by surprise. The Spino used its tail to its advantage, throwing the soldiers a fair distance each time it connected. The Spino also began using its jaws, snapping into the soldiers and ripping them to shreds. Blood washed away immediately due to the rain.

Hamada had command of over fifty ACU soldiers. He had taken thirty to deal with this threat. Twenty-five had died in less than five minutes. He called in for back-up, but he doubted the other twenty soldiers could do much without larger tranquilizers.

What ACU didn't know was that most of their tranqs weren't even penetrating the Spino's tough scales. The Rex tranqs could put a T-Rex down in under ten minutes, but they had trouble going into the larger Spino. Hamada was beginning to lose hope. Unless back-up arrived soon carrying larger tranqs, they will be unable to put the beast to sleep.

And then Hamada was the last one alive. The Spino had killed each one of the remaining ACU slowly. The Spino bit their limbs off, or cut them in half, the Spino even swallowed one of them whole. One or two of the soldiers were left thrashing on the ground, blood pouring out of their wounds. Their screams cut into Hamada, who stood stock still as the Spino approached slowly, savoring its last kill.

Hamada only had one dart left. The Spino got down on all fours, clearly planning to kill the commander with its jaws. The two stared at each other unwavering. The Spino's emerald fire glared into Hamada's cool, black steel gaze. Neither blinked as Hamada raised his weapon and aimed for the beast's eye.

The dart would definitely penetrate the eye. Perhaps the beast would retreat in order to nurse the wound. Or maybe this one dart could turn the tide of battle when reinforcements arrived. In either case, Hamada would not die in vain, and he would go down fighting.

The Spino growled when he realized where Hamada was aiming. He respected the little human standing alone against unconquerable odds. The Spino knew that he would receive a battle scar from this worthy foe, and he promised to give Hamada a warrior's death.

Hamada squeezed the trigger harder and the Spino's jaws parted, but they both froze when they heard the sound of a truck's engine. _Back-up_ , Hamada thought. But it wasn't the back-up he was expecting. Both Hamada and the Spino turned to look for the approaching vehicle, having forgotten each other. The truck appeared out of the rain like a ghost, it didn't help that it was white.

XXX

The red Raptor launched himself at his opponent with a screech. He barreled the soldier over and bit into the back of his neck with a satisfying crunch. The Raptor staggered when he was hit on the shoulder. The blob he had spotted from afar was indeed another soldier. The Raptor charged at him too, running in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the gun fire. The Raptor snapped this soldier's neck too.

Neither were particularly clean kills and neither were silent. If there were more enemies, they had definitely heard him. The red Raptor waited to see if anymore guards would round the corner, but no one did. Assuming it was safe, he poked his head around the corner. No one was there.

He ran a circle around the cage, trying to find the entrance. Once he found it, he let out a loud bark, calling his pack to him. He had no idea how to open this cage, but perhaps one of his pack did. He was sure that they were hiding in a dry place… but surely they shouldn't be taking this long. He barked again.

No response. He was starting to become worried. It wasn't raining _so_ hard that they couldn't hear each other, so why weren't they answering? Shouldn't they be happy to hear him? Well, he did forget to come back for them, so perhaps they were upset, but he was here now! _"I'm here to free you!"_ he called out in vain.

Again, nothing. If he didn't know any better… they were gone. No, they couldn't be gone. Were they dead? Had they been moved? _Had they already been freed?_ the Raptor wondered. No, that couldn't be it.

But he couldn't rule it out as a possibility. He remembered from somewhere that there was another free Raptor running around. Perhaps that Raptor freed his pack and became their alpha. The red Raptor made up his mind, he was going to wait out the storm and then go and find his pack. If there was no way for him to become alpha, then at least he could still be a part of the pack.

The Raptor turned around and started to walk away. Suddenly, the ground came out from underneath him. Something wrapped around him and threw him up in the air. It was a net of some sort. The Raptor struggled and tried to cut the rope, but the net was made from nylon cables. His struggles were in vain.

Dozens of guards emerged from the forest. It was a trap! They were lying in wait for him, he didn't detect them because of the rain. "Well look-y here, we've caught ourselves a Raptor!" one of the men said. He was a large man and was the only one unarmed.

A name popped up in the Raptor's head, _Vic Hoskins._ For some reason, that name made bile rise in the Raptor's throat. His instincts screamed enemy. But he was trapped and could not move. He continued to struggle, hoping to at least claw the man. But the holes in the net were too small for his arms to stick out.

"He sure is struggling, isn't he?" Hoskins chuckled. He motioned at one of the guards to bring their truck around. Hoskins had moved the Raptors from their cage to a secret location. He had no idea where Grady was, but he wasn't responding to his calls. That means that Owen wouldn't try to stop him. And Barry was… out of commission.

He was going to take the captured Raptor to the others and kill it. Hopefully the other Raptors would respond to his commands, then he wouldn't need Grady anymore. If the Raptors didn't respond, then he'd just kill them too. They'd be a lost cause at that point. Then he could explain to Owen that he just didn't want him to interfere in the Raptor euthanization, he'd be none the wiser and they could start over. He hoped that it was worth going through all of this trouble to gain control over four Raptors. It would all be pointless if they could get Wu to make them a hybrid.

XXX

 **Ah, I'm a bastard aren't I? I left you on a cliffhanger. And a pretty nasty one too. But don't worry, I've still got plenty more in me.** **The next chapter will not be the last** **. Oh… and I'm still looking for Spino-Rex names, haven't decided yet, so keep them coming!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10 - Beleaguer:

Author's Note:

 **Hello again, everyone! I would just like to make an announcement: I've decided on a name for the Spino-Rex. No, I'm not telling you all, you'll just have to keep reading! Thanks to everyone who had sent me a name, I greatly enjoyed reading through them (I got even more Spino-Rex names than I did Indominus names). A second announcement that I think many of you will be happy about: this was originally going to be the last chapter. I've been hit with inspiration and I've decided to extend the story quite a bit. We've got another five to ten chapters left (maybe even more), so please, enjoy!**

XXX

Hamada and the Spino stared at the approaching truck. Hamada still had his gun pointed at the Spino and the Spino's claws were hovering over him. Retreat never crossed Hamada's mind. A whirring and clicking sound filled the air, it could be barely heard over the engine and the rain. Hamada's eyes widened when he recognized the sound.

The truck hit a small hill and went air born. Time seemed to slow down for Hamada. He saw Wu in the driver's seat, struggling to keep control of the truck. Another person, one that Hamada did not recognize, stood on the bed of the truck. There was a minigun mounted just over the driver's cabin. The whirring and clicking was the sound of the minigun rotating, preparing to fire.

The Spino growled and took several steps backwards to avoid the truck. Hamada rolled out of the way when he realized that Wu was planning on ramming the Spino, which would put him in the way. The minigun fired rapidly, darts spewed from its muzzle. Dracul yelped in surprise as dozens of darts struck him in the side.

Dracul began to move, trying to avoid being shot. He circled the truck. He found that he was safe as long as he was behind the vehicle. Dracul narrowed his eyes as he discovered who was shooting at him. It was the man in the white coat that he had met just as he had escaped his cage. The man had dodged every single attack he had thrown at him. He would've had no problems killing him if he could've stayed on his feet, but for some reason, he had fallen over just as he escaped.

Fallen over like a hatchling. And just now he yelped like a hatchling. Dracul did not like the man in the white coat. The man made him behave like a hatchling, which was an insult to the giant Spino's pride. Perhaps if he made the man scream… then he wouldn't be feeling this way. Dracul roared and rushed the truck as fast as he could.

The white truck screeched to a stop and the passenger side door flew open, "Get in!" Wu shouted. Hamada didn't need to be told twice. He leapt into the seat and shut the door behind him. Wu slammed on the gas and the truck jumped forward.

"I only have a one-eighty degree arc, try and keep the truck facing the Spino!" Gordon shouted from the back, over the rain and the engine. Wu stepped on the brake and spun around so the truck was facing Dracul. He then hit the gas again, charging right at the dinosaur. It was a game of chicken.

The gun started to fire again, pelting Dracul with hundreds of tranquilizer darts. "When is he going down," Hamada asked Wu. The Spino shook his head, trying to avoid being hit in the eye, and ended up swerving out of the way. The truck zoomed passed the Spino. Dracul panted, happy to have a moment to recover.

"We need to wear him out, he won't go down until he runs out of adrenaline!" Gordon called from the back. The truck spun around again. Hamada was impressed that Wu could drive like this. "We're running out of darts," Gordon called as they approached the slowing Spino.

This time the truck turned and started to circle Dracul, taking advantage of his slower speed. Wu tried to keep as close as he could, but the Spino still attempted to swipe at them. Gordon ducked under Dracul's claws. Dracul kept swiping at them, they were way to close, "Wu, back off!" Gordon called out just before he ducked again.

Dracul was becoming infuriated again. This pathetic little human was avoiding his attacks with ease! How was this possible? Dracul snarled and swung again, this time he managed to connect with something. But it wasn't the human, it was the thing shooting at him. He roared in victory as he ripped the minigun off of its mount. He stomped on it as hard as he could, crushing it beneath him.

Wu broke contact and raced away. "We've lost the minigun!" Gordon called out. The Spino gave chase to the fleeing truck, hoping to capitalize on his opponent being unarmed. He shook himself as he ran, shaking off the hundreds of darts stuck in his scales. Many had penetrated his skin and he was starting to feel the effects, but he kept pushing himself.

"How much longer?" Hamada called out. He leaned out of the window to look right at Gordon. One of the Spino's attacks had managed to knock off the passenger's mirror. The Spino was neither gaining nor slowing.

"It could be another ten minutes, without any more darts, we can't keep the pressure up. If I still had the minigun, he'd be down in under three minutes," Gordon explained. Hamada wasn't able to hear all of it, Gordon was looking at the pursuing Spino.

"We have a new problem!" Wu cried out, "We're running out of gas." The tank of the truck was practically empty. It could keep going for a few more minutes, but not the ten they needed. This was bad. If the truck stopped, they'd be dead.

"I have a gas can in the back here, but I can't put it in the tank unless we stop," Gordon explained.

"Well, we can't stop!" Wu shouted. He was starting to panic. He was shaking and the wheel was jerking from side to side. It was a miracle they hadn't crashed.

"Is there any way to stop him now?" Hamada asked. He knew a bit about an adrenaline rush, but he wasn't sure if there was a way to force someone out of it.

"Not without a gun," Gordon said. He thought for a moment, "But if we could get a tranquilizer directly into the bloodstream or a nerve that leads to the brain… he could go down almost instantly."

Hamada looked at his gun. "Stop the truck, I've got an idea," he told Wu. Wu gave him a 'are you insane?' look, but slammed on the breaks none-the-less. Hamada pumped his shotgun and jumped out of the vehicle. The truck didn't stop completely, but it slowed down enough that when Hamada hit the ground, he could roll without injuring himself. The truck sped up again.

The Spino was less than a minute behind the truck, Hamada didn't have much time. He cracked his neck and readjusted his grip on the gun. The Spino didn't slow down when he saw Hamada making a stand, he only lowered his jaws and prepared to snap him up. Hamada tensed… and then leapt out of the way, raising his shotgun as he cleared the beast's jaws. **BOOM!** Thunder clapped just as Hamada's tranquilizer connected.

The dart hit dead center in the Spino's eye. Dracul didn't feel the pain immediately, but he noticed his right eye's vision suddenly disappear and his head jolted back from the force of the dart. The Spino stopped to shake his head, trying to get vision back to his eye, he thought that he had been blinded by the rain.

But the realization suddenly dawned on him, there was something sharp poking out of his eye. The rush of adrenaline suddenly ceased and pain set in. His vision became blurry and he collapsed to the ground, no longer able to resist the effects of the tranquilizers.

Hamada approached the Spino with no fear. He pulled the dart out of its eye carefully. There was no doubt the Spino was blind in that eye, a grim reminder to never mess with commander Hamada. The truck had turned around and stopped a few feet away from the downed dinosaur. Wu got out as Gordon filled the gas tank with what he had.

"You're pretty lucky, commander," Wu noted. He flinched when the Spino let out a low growl.

"Years of intensive training," Hamada said.

Gordon walked up behind them, "Well, it looks like the minigun isn't going to be useful anymore." He motioned towards the flattened minigun a few yards away. "You wouldn't mind taking care of the rest of this, would you commander? Wu and I have somewhere to be." Gordon tapped Wu's shoulder and nodded towards his truck.

"We do?" Wu asked, having no idea what Gordon was talking about.

"No problem. There isn't much to take care of. I just need to alert control of the Spino's location… and I need to take note of the deceased," the commander said grimly. Jurassic world was one of the most dangerous places on Earth, Hamada had to bury many comrades over the years. He knew not a single one regretted taking the job, but that didn't mean he enjoyed burying them.

He watched Wu and the man he did not know walk back to the truck. He didn't have time to wonder where they were going, or who the man was. He knew Wu, and that was all that mattered. He checked to make sure his wrist communicator was functional. Most of the ACU had cameras attached to their helmets, but not Hamada. Control knew he was alive because of his wrist communicator, but they had no idea what happened.

"Control, this is commander Hamada. Asset is down in sector nineteen, requesting transfer immediately. Upwards of thirty casualties, can control confirm?" Hamada asked. All of the ACU soldiers had their heartbeats monitored by control, they already know how many died.

"Thirty confirmed dead, what they hell happened, Hamada?" it was Claire's voice. She sounded livid.

"He was too strong and he was already resistant to the Rex tranqs," Hamada admitted.

"I thought I said minimum casualties, commander. Now we've lost over half of our ACU force."

"The Spino is down, I will wait here until back-up and a transfer unit arrives."

"Commander Hamada! This is the second time you've had half of our ACU decimated, after the Indominus Incident, we nearly tripled the number of ACU soldiers, and you were _still_ only barely able to contain the Spino! The board is not going to be happy, they might have your badge, commander… I hope you know how difficult it's going to be…" Hamada stopped listening. He turned off his wrist communicator, cutting Claire off.

Hamada leaned on the Spino's side. He had his head down and was completely silent, standing vigil for those that had fallen today. He had done his job, and that's all that mattered. He knew that ACU had lost more soldiers under his command than under any other commander. Then again, Hamada had also successfully stopped two major carnivore incidents. The board wouldn't dare fire him. No innocent lives were lost, that's all that Hamada cared about. Not that he thought the other soldiers' lives weren't innocent, just they had chosen their fate.

XXX

"Why are we at the Raptor paddock?" Wu asked as the truck came to a stop. The two got out of the vehicle and took a look around. There was no one there.

"I saw Owen leaving the Indominus paddock in his Raptor form, he was heading in this direction. I want to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone, or is hurt in return," Gordon explained. They began to walk towards the paddock. It was empty. "Where are the Raptors?"

"I have no idea…" Wu replied. He was starting to panic. Owen had no control over his Raptor form, what if he had freed his pack? But the door seemed to be in perfect condition, so how did the Raptors get out?

Gordon kept walking around the paddock, trying to find a hole that the Raptors could've escaped from. But he found two dead bodies instead. "We've got bodies!" he called back to Wu, who was still standing at the paddock gate.

Wu walked around to see the bodies. The backs of their necks were torn out. "A Raptor did this," Gordon remarked.

"There's no sign of a forced exit… so this must be Owen's handiwork," Wu realized.

"My thoughts exactly," Gordon concurred. He flipped one of the men onto their backs. "InGen," Gordon read off of the man's vest.

"Hoskins' men," Wu said. Hoskins employed mercenaries and gave them vests with the InGen logo on them to make people think they were a part of InGen's staff. "How did the Raptors get out?"

"I don't know," Gordon admitted. He continued looking around the paddock, finding nothing. He continued looking, starting with Owen and Barry's shared office space. The door was not locked, he walked right in. Wu was right behind him.

"Oh no…" Wu muttered when he saw what was in Owen's office. At Owen's desk was Barry, whose head was down on the desk. He was not moving. Gordon approached him. Barry did not react. Someone had bashed him on the back of his head.

Gordon checked his pulse, "He's alive." Gordon didn't move him though. Barry had a concussion, it was best not to move his head if at all possible. The two left the office. The rain had died down, but not stopped completely.

"What happened here?" Wu asked.

"It doesn't make any sense. Owen was definitely here, he's the only one who could've killed those two guards… but unless he remembered how to open the paddock door _and_ remember to shut it afterwards, he didn't let the Raptors out," Gordon explained.

Wu buried his head in his hands. "We have to consider that the Raptors have escaped, we should alert control," he said.

"But why is Barry not dead? It looked like someone had hit him on the back of the head with something heavy… Owen couldn't have done that in his Raptor form," the good doctor said.

"What are you implying?" Wu was holding his phone, ready to call control and tell them that the Raptors have escaped.

"Barry came to talk to me not that long ago. He told me about Owen approaching him in his Raptor form, scaring the shit out of him… and he told me that Hoskins had put guards around the paddock to prevent Owen from releasing the Raptors."

"Where are Hoskins men? There is no way he only put two people on guard."

"I have a theory," Dr. Freeman said. He began to pace in front of the paddock gate. "What if Owen arrived here, intending to release the Raptors, but he was attacked by the guards. He managed to kill two of them, but he was overrun. Maybe he was captured or maybe he escaped… but that still doesn't explain what happened to Barry and the Raptors."

Wu smacked his forehead, "Of course! Hoskins always had an obsession with the Raptors, he wanted them to be militarized. I bet he took them somewhere, maybe to lure Owen to him."

Gordon's eyes widened, "That means Barry tried to stop him and got himself knocked out. We have to find Owen."

Wu dialed a number on his phone, "I have an idea." The phone rang three times before the person on the other line picked up, "Yes, hello? This is Wu, I have a favor to ask…"

 _There's a good chance that Owen has already been captured, Hoskins might try to kill him,_ Gordon thought. He looked up at the sky and saw the moon. The rain had stopped.

XXX

"Alright, you four come with me. The rest of you stand guard, no one can leave without me," Hoskins ordered. The four men he had pointed to dragged the net holding the Raptor behind them as they followed Hoskins. There were a total of twenty-four men, not including Hoskins himself.

They were at the old visitor's center. It was the safest place on the island if you wanted to be free from prying eyes. Not a single camera was functional, hardly any of the employees knew that the old visitor's center was still standing, and no one would be looking for them. The floors had been swept clean of moss and overgrowth. Several lights had been replaced so they could see in the darkness.

In the center of the room was four cages. There was a Raptor in each of the cages. _"Blue! Charlie! Delta! Echo!"_ the red Raptor chittered. Hoskins was still going through with his plan: gain control over the Raptors. He noted that the red Raptor recognized the four caged Raptors.

"How are we going to do this, boss?" one of the soldiers asked. He was the shortest among the four Hoskins brought with him. He carried a large double barreled shotgun.

"Strap him down, we're doing this the easy way," Hoskins commanded. He pointed to an altar-like slab of metal rising from the ground. The four soldiers dragged the Raptor over to the altar and held him down as they restrained his arms and legs. They tied the red Raptor face down and removed the netting.

Hoskins pulled out a revolver from his belt. It was the only weapon he carried. "I'm just going to shoot the damned thing right in its head," he explained. He pushed the barrel out and checked to make sure it was loaded. It was. He pulled the hammer back after pushing the barrel back into place.

He took aim and was about to pull the trigger before one of his men shouted, "Boss!" He turned to look at the man who spoke. Hoskins took a step back in fear when he saw a silvery-blue Raptor, larger than he was, burst into the room and lunge at the man who yelled. The soldier screamed as the Raptor tore him apart.

The other soldiers opened fire, Hoskins did as well. But the Raptor was too fast, it looked as if none of their bullets were connecting. Hoskins' revolver only had six rounds. Once he fired them all, he dropped the gun and ran. The Raptor was still slaughtering his men, but he didn't look back. _How did that thing get in?_ Hoskins thought as he ran around the Raptor and exited through the front.

Hoskins could run rather fast for how large he was. He made it out of the front door and he didn't hear the clicking of the Raptor claws on the tile behind him. Which mean he wasn't being pursued. "Damn it all to hell, now we have Raptors loose. So there was another rogue Raptor, huh? I guess I'm the one who got played," Hoskins said to himself.

It didn't matter how the Raptor got in, or if it managed to free the others. He still had plenty of troops, all he had to do was take them back inside and slaughter them all. _I wonder how I'm going to explain this to Owen,_ Hoskins pondered as he kept walking. Where were all of his troops?

"Hey! Don't tell me you all ran scared at the sight of one Raptor!" Hoskins yelled out. He was reasonably confident that the silvery-blue Raptor was still inside the old visitor's center. He didn't care about how loud he was being. Something crunched underneath his boot.

Hoskins looked down to see what it was. "Oh shit!" to his surprise it was one of his soldiers. He was lying dead on the ground. Hoskins had stepped on his arm. Hoskins' breathing became faster and faster to the point that he was hyperventilating as he continued to look around. Everywhere he looked, there were dead soldiers. He was in a field of corpses.

 _A single Raptor couldn't have done this!_ Hoskins rationed. He began to check each soldier for wounds. Nothing. There was not a single mark on any of the soldiers he checked. It was as if they all just collapsed, never to see the light of day again. "What the fuck happened?" Hoskins mumbled to himself.

He grabbed one of the soldier's guns for protection, noting that not a single shot had been fired, and he bolted. There were no wounds, which meant that the silvery-blue Raptor did not do this. Whatever killed his men was way more dangerous than a single Raptor. Something had killed his men… and it was probably still here.

XXX

There were only two guards left. They had been lucky. They have been timing their reloads so the Raptor could not approach them safely. One would fire while the other reloaded, then they would switch. The system was effective, thought they had still been unable to land a single hit on the fast Raptor.

This Raptor was rushing around the room, ducking under large bones and weaving in between columns to avoid the gunfire. The two men realized that this was no ordinary Raptor. It was much, much smarter than the average Raptor, and they had dealt with many. Not to mention how much larger it was than the five captured Raptors.

There was a click and one of the soldiers went to reload his gun, unfortunately, his partner was still finishing putting the magazine in. That mean they were vulnerable, and the Raptor knew it. It charged at them, teeth bared, and managed to latch onto one of their shoulders. But the man was not going down that easily. He pulled a knife from his boot and slashed at the Raptor's jaw, cutting a shallow wound.

"I'll save you!" the other soldier shouted. He finished reloading and began to fire at the Raptor. To both of their surprise, he managed to score several hits down the Raptor's flank. The Raptor screeched in pain and fell off of the other soldier. "I hit it!"

"Kill it, kill it, kill it!" the soldier on the ground yelled desperately. He had a nasty wound on his shoulder. If they didn't finish the Raptor off quickly, the wound would become infected.

"Right," the other soldier said and started to fire again. The silvery-blue Raptor managed to avoid all of the bullets except one. A single bullet hit the Raptor in the leg, knocking her down again. "Ha! Got you!" the soldier said, advancing on his target with the intent to kill.

But before he could pull the trigger, he froze in fear. He wasn't sure why. The Raptor was down on the ground, rolling around in pain. He could kill it now… but he couldn't pull the trigger for some reason. The Raptor realized that he wasn't firing back and attacked.

The other soldier got off of the ground, recovered his weapon, and finished reloading it just in time to see his partner collapse, blood leaking from his neck. He screamed in terror and tried to fire at the quickly approaching Raptor, but he found himself frozen in fear as well. He too was killed by the silvery-blue Raptor.

The Raptor let out a victory screech and approached the red Raptor. _"Owen?"_ she asked.

The pinned Raptor gave her a confused look, _"Who is Owen?"_ The red Raptor had a vague idea of who Owen was. There was a picture in his head and he felt like he had met this Owen person, but he couldn't remember when.

The silvery-blue Raptor shook her head and sighed, _"You are Owen… can't you remember?"_ She stepped closer to him and tried to open the restraints with her teeth.

 _"_ _I am Owen…"_ he began to struggle against the restraints, but they held tight. _"Confused… so confused. I can't remember… I can't remember anything. I am Owen?"_ His struggles forced the other Raptor to back away. His head began to hurt as pictures of places and people rushed through his mind. But he couldn't make out the meaning behind them.

"Sam! Are you alright?" Wu asked, rushing into the room. He looked at the dead guards and grimaced.

 _"_ _I am fine,"_ the silvery-blue Raptor chittered at him. Although Wu could not understand her in her Raptor form, he saw blood dripping down her side.

"You're hurt," he mumbled to himself. He walked up next to her and examined her wounds. She had been hit several times on her flank, and once on her leg. She was limping slightly.

 _"_ _I'm_ _fine_ _,"_ she growled at him. She flinched when his hand ran over one of the bullet holes.

"Let's free Owen and get out of here," Wu said.

"That would be a bad idea," Dr. Freeman said, walking into the room. "Owen is currently extremely dangerous, let me put him to sleep first." He walked over to the still struggling Raptor. Owen flinched away from his touch.

The red Raptor recognized the man trying to touch him. His instincts screamed danger. But that didn't stop his eyes from drooping. He was falling asleep! He struggled to stay awake. But his eyes eventually closed. Owen was asleep.

"Hoskins got away," Gordon said as he removed Owen's restraints.

"What? I thought you were going to take care of him," Wu said.

"If I didn't interfere, little miss Raptor here would be dead. Besides, despite his size, Hoskins is very fast. He got out of range very quickly," Gordon explained.

 _"_ _So you could get the others just fine, but one person moving fast you couldn't down? That's sad,"_ Sam chuckled.

"Do you know how hard it is killing twenty people at once? You needed my help killing four, I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Gordon hissed. He stared up at Sam, unafraid despite the size difference.

"I have no idea what she said, but don't we still have a job to do?" Wu asked, trying to break up a fight. He knew that Sam was terrifying in her Raptor form, but he had watched Dr. Freeman kill those men without breaking a sweat. It was a fight Sam would lose.

Gordon sighed, "You're right. You two take Owen back to his home and wait for him to change back. I'll take care of the other Raptors."

 _"_ _Is it a good idea to put the Raptors back in their paddock?"_ Sam asked. She hesitated for a moment, _"And shouldn't I take care of the Raptors?"_

Gordon chuckled, "There's no guarantee they'll obey you. In any case, you bring up a good point. I've got a place that I can put the Raptors until we take care of Hoskins."

"So you still plan on killing him?" Wu asked. Sam only snorted.

"Of course. You should get going, I don't know how long Owen will be asleep," Gordon said. He thought for a moment before saying, "I would suggest you make sure all of the bullets are removed before you change back, Sam."

Wu draped Owen over Sam's shoulders after she insisted she could handle it. "Alright, fine, but I'm not dressing him up again," Wu said. Sam hissed in annoyance, but didn't refuse. She was tired and had to get several bullets removed.

Gordon watched them go. He waited until they had left the room before he rummaged around on the ground. He picked up one of the soldiers' guns and walked over to the Raptor cages. The cages were made from tough steel and held shut by heavy-duty padlocks.

A single shot from the assault rifle he picked up burst one of the locks open. He repeated his actions, opening each cage and letting the Raptors out. The Raptors stepped out of their cages and assessed their situation carefully. After determining that Gordon meant no harm, they approached him cautiously. "Alright, follow me," Gordon commanded.

The Raptors stared at him with confused expressions. They were hesitant to follow this person. Blue looked around and spotted an escape. _"Freedom,"_ Blue chittered to herself. She and the other Raptors backed away from Gordon slowly. They bolted to freedom.

They didn't get far, "Where do you think you all are going?" Gordon asked. The Raptors froze, unable to move. Blue could feel a crawling sensation all over her body. Every thought that entered her head was viciously deflected before she realized that she had thought something. Her body began to move against her will.

The Raptors turned around to see Gordon smirking at them, his violet eyes blazing. He began to exit the old visitor's center, the Raptors trotting behind him. Blue tried to resist, but there was only one thought left in her head: **follow**.

XXX

 **Another chapter finished! So, we've discovered that Sam was the silvery-blue Raptor the entire time! Though, I bet many of you were able to figure it out. We'll be seeing more of a dynamic between her and Owen later. Where is Gordon taking the other Raptors? Can any of you guess? Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11 - Petrichor:

Author's Note:

 **Hello again, everyone. Now, you may be wondering why I've posted so soon after my last chapter, and the reason is… today (June 27th) is my birthday. I have today off and I don't really have anything to do… so I decided to work on this. And I was able to finish the chapter fairly quickly. So congratulations! You've all made it to the end of the first arc. So happy birthday to me, and let's get started, shall we?**

XXX

Hoskins, despite what many thought about him, was not an idiot. He didn't claim to be a genius, but he was definitely not an idiot. He knew that the freed Raptors would be coming after him. He knew that he needed to find a way to eliminate the Raptors quickly. And the best way to do that would be to alert control and get ACU to take care of them.

He just had to take a few precautions. He managed to make it back to the Raptor paddock without dying. He sabotaged the paddock gate controls, making it look like the Raptors had escaped forcefully. He pulled out his phone and called control, "Hey, this is Hoskins, we have a situation."

"This is Claire, what happened?" Hoskins paled when Claire picked up. He had no idea why Claire was at control. He had to be careful, Claire didn't like him at all.

"The Raptors have escaped, I've lost most of my troops," he said, trying to sound panicked. Claire wasn't as easy to fool as Masrani.

"Where is Owen?" Claire asked. There were no cameras at the Raptor paddock, so control couldn't see what had happened.

"I have no clue, he didn't show up today. Look, we need to get ACU ready to go, I saw where the Raptors went," Hoskins said. That was a lie, he had seen Owen today, but he had no idea where he went.

"Are you aware that our Spinosaurus had escaped?" Claire asked.

Hoskins' eyes widened, "I had no idea… has it been contained?"

"Commander Hamada managed to put the Spino down, but we lost over half of our ACU. We cannot spare our remaining ACU trying to capture Raptors, especially if they've gotten into the jungle where they'd be difficult to detect, especially at night" Claire said harshly. How could so many things go wrong in one day?

"… We aren't capturing them. We're putting them down for good. I want ACU firing lethals at them. Owen has made zero progress and we need to start over," Hoskins said. Starting over was better than dealing with Raptors that could not be controlled. Perhaps he could finally convince Wu to make him those hybrids.

"Still, ACU cannot be deployed at the moment. Call all employees from the restricted zone back into the main park. We're going into lock down in twenty minutes. ACU will be deployed in the morning," Claire ordered.

Hoskins gritted his teeth in annoyance, but did as she ordered. "You didn't go into lockdown for the Spino?"

"The power had gone out, Hoskins. It's back on now, and nothing except the Spino and the Raptors had escaped. Like I said, we're going into lockdown in twenty minutes, get everyone out of the restricted zone."

 _The power went out?_ Hoskins wondered. That's perfect! Now he had a believable excuse for the Raptors escaping. He jumped into one of the spare jeeps by the Raptor paddock, but he hesitated before leaving. He wanted nothing more than to just leave everyone else behind… but he couldn't.

He had no idea where Owen was, but he knew that Barry was still passed out in Owen's office. He entered Owen's office and sure enough, Barry was still passed out there. He carefully picked Barry up and took him back to the jeep. He had hit Barry rather hard with the butt of his revolver, hopefully he had forgotten everything that had happened. Hoskins started the jeep and took off. He would call Owen when he got to safety.

XXX

Claire put her face in her hands. Couldn't she just catch a break? "So what are we going to do now?" Lowery asked.

"Hamada isn't picking up, we can't reach Owen, and the Raptors have escaped. We're putting the park on lockdown in twenty minutes… hopefully the Raptors aren't already inside the main park," Claire sighed.

"What's this about shutting down the park?" a new voice said.

"Mr. Masrani!" Claire nearly shouted, turning around to face him. She had hoped to deal with the Spinosaurus before anyone else found out. If any dinosaurs managed to escape, Masrani was obligated to reveal the information to the press, even if there were no casualties. Claire had no such obligation, which was why she rarely told Masrani when dinosaurs escaped under her watch.

"Did you say the Raptors have escaped?" Masrani asked.

"Yes…" Claire said slowly. _Well, since he's already here,_ Claire thought, "And the Spino. But ACU has already contained him." He would've found out about the Spino the moment he noticed ACU had lost over half of its soldiers.

"Oh? Why can't we send ACU after the Raptors now?"

Claire flinched, "The Spino has killed thirty of our soldiers." Claire hesitated, "And we can no longer contact commander Hamada. He's turned off his wrist communicator."

"Oh…" Masrani said. Masrani was an extremely understanding man, but he doesn't have complete authority over the park. "We're going to have to alert the board about this. Set a meeting with them tomorrow morning… nine, if you could."

"Yes sir," Claire said.

"Oh, and have any of you seen Wu? He's not in his office."

"Lowery," Claire said, turning towards the man at his computer. Lowery began to type on his computer.

"His phone is pinging in the restricted zone," Lowery said.

Masrani raised his eyebrow, "If you're going to shut the park down, make sure he's inside before you lockdown." He left control, heading back to his office. After the board meeting tomorrow, he would have to tell the press what had happened.

"Keep trying to contact Hamada and give Wu a call while you're at it," Claire ordered as she followed Masrani out. She went in a different direction. She was going to set up the board meeting like he had requested.

"I don't think Hamada is going to pick up… I hope he doesn't get fired," Lowery mumbled as he continued typing on his computer. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

XXX

Owen's vision was bleary as he woke up. He couldn't tell where he was at first. Slowly, his vision became clearer and he saw he was back at his bungalow. He sat up and stretched, he had been lying in his hammock. He looked around, it was still dark out, but it was no longer raining.

The past two hours was a blur, but he had a feeling he had transformed again. He was fighting Wu and then… nothing. _Wu!_ Owen thought. Had he killed him? Owen was still angry at the scientist for turning him into a Raptor without his permission… but he didn't mean to kill the guy. Just beat the shit out of him.

"Oh, you're awake," a voice said. It came from behind Owen, causing him to tumble out of his hammock. There was someone else here.

"Wu!" Owen realized when he saw the man. He was missing his white lab coat, but it was definitely him. Anger rose within him again. Their earlier match was still undecided.

"Woah, hold on!" Wu said quickly when Owen started to approach him with clenched fists. "I wouldn't suggest fighting…"

"And why the hell not?" Owen asked, raising his fist to strike Wu. Wu flinched away from Owen.

"We're unsure of what triggers the transformations! For all we know, your anger causes you to turn into a Raptor," Wu explained. Wu actually had no idea what causes Owen to transform, but he really didn't want to be punched.

Owen lowered his fist slowly, "That makes sense, I guess. That doesn't mean you're off the hook, I want the cure."

Wu cringed, "I'm not sure if there's a cure." Owen began grinding his teeth and Wu mumbled, "Well, I haven't really tried, though. So there might be or there might not be, I don't know."

"Well how about you make making the cure your new number one priority," Owen growled. He backed away from Wu and sat back down on his hammock. "How about telling me what happened, I can't remember."

"You transformed," Wu said simply.

"I figured that, anything else?"

"Well… you tried to kill me, I lured you into the Indominus paddock, she scared you away, I think you went to the Raptor paddock, and then you were captured by Hoskins, but we rescued you," Wu ran through the list quickly.

"Oh, okay then… wait did you say 'captured by Hoskins'?" Owen asked.

"Yes, Hoskins set a trap for you, and you fell into it. He took you to the old visitor's center, but we rescued you."

 _I had no idea that the rogue Raptor was_ _me_ _when I told Hoskins to keep an eye out… I guess that's my own fault,_ Owen thought. "Wait, who's 'we'?"

"Myself, Dr. Freeman, and…" Wu started but was interrupted by the sound of Owen's door opening.

 _"_ _Hey, I found him a shirt. You have no idea how messy his house is…"_ the silvery-blue Raptor said as she rounded to corner. She paused when she saw Owen, _"Oh, he's awake."_ She was clutching a shirt in her claws.

Owen jumped to his feet in a defensive stance, cursing him forgetting his gun again. "Move, Wu! There's a Raptor behind you!" He didn't see if Wu moved or not, he had his eyes glued to the rogue Raptor. He considered the best way to attack. Perhaps he could outmaneuver her and get to his gun inside his house… or perhaps he would have to rely on his Raptor form. But only as a last resort.

"Owen…"

 _"_ _It's me, Owen, Sam. Here's your shirt!"_ the Raptor said angrily, throwing the shirt at him. Owen realized that his chest was bare. He put on his shirt quickly, dropping his guard for a moment, but went right back into a stance after he was fully clothed.

"Alright, you both have some explaining to do!" Owen said, "If you're the rogue Raptor, then you're the one who attacked me."

 _"_ _Yes, I attacked you and forcibly injected you with the wereraptor virus._ _I_ _made you into this, so if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me,"_ Sam chittered.

"Oh, I'm mad at you alright. Downright livid, hey, why are you still in control in your Raptor form?" Owen asked, finally lowering his guard. Wu's phone began to ring, so he walked several paces away to speak without interference.

 _"_ _I don't know why it didn't work properly for you, but I have full control of my Raptor form and I can switch back and forth between forms at will,"_ Sam explained.

"Can you please switch back then? I feel like I'm going crazy, talking to a Raptor like this," Owen begged.

 _"_ _I am_ _not_ _going to switch back, I'd be naked! Besides, I was shot several times, I need the bullets removed before I can switch back,"_ Sam hissed.

"Oh…" was all Owen said, "Wait, who's been dressing me when I turned back?" He made a note about her taking bullets for him, but decided against asking. Wu refused to go into detail and Owen was certain Sam would be the same. Perhaps Dr. Freeman would be more willing to elaborate.

Sam grimaced but wasn't able to answer. Wu walked back over and said, "We've got to get back. The park is being put on lockdown. We have twenty minutes."

"What! Why?" Owen asked.

"Your Raptors are not in their paddock," Wu explained.

"Why aren't they in their paddock? Where are they!" Owen asked, becoming increasingly paranoid.

 _"_ _They're fine, Dr. Freeman has them,"_ Sam hissed.

"Control thinks your Raptors are loose, so they're taking precaution," Wu said.

"Why isn't control apprised of the whole situation?"

Wu hesitated, "I'll explain in greater detail when we get to the lab. At this time, everyone else should be gone."

"We can't just waltz into the main park with a Raptor, she has to change back," Owen argued. There was no explanation as to why Sam was a Raptor that wouldn't land them all in jail.

 _"_ _Bullets, remember?"_ Sam said.

"I assume she's told you about the bullets, we can't remove them here, and besides there's no time. ACU will be busy protecting the perimeter and we can take the backdoor," Wu said.

"Fine, I have an ATV we can take," Owen said. They all piled into the ATV before realizing that they would never be able to make it into the main park unless Sam was able to hide somehow. The clock kept ticking as they tried to figure out the best way to hide a giant Raptor in a small ATV.

XXX

Dr. Freeman rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had put his glasses back on. He had been wearing contacts in order to lessen the rain's adverse effect on his vision, but it didn't make them any less annoying. Saber continued to complain, _"I still don't see_ _why_ _they have to be here."_

She had complained the moment Gordon introduced the Raptors. She was more like a child who didn't want to share her room with her sibling. Gordon wasn't exactly sure why she was complaining, she constantly begged him to let her out to see the park and meet the other animals, but now four of them had to room with her and she was suddenly adverse to the idea.

The Raptors stood absolutely still behind him in the viewing room. Even though the glass was still broken, Gordon remained unafraid of Saber. "Look, this is the best place to put them. Hoskins wouldn't dare come anywhere near the paddock, not after what he did to you when you were young. Plus you can keep an eye on them."

 _"_ _Still… what if they eat all of my food?"_ Saber asked pathetically.

Gordon rolled his eyes, "Obviously they would be fed separately, not to mention you're five times their size!" Gordon took a deep breath, then said in his best 'parent reprimanding a child voice', "You're better than this, Saber. They're staying with you and that's final. Besides, it'd be good for you to have some social interaction besides myself and Mr. Grady."

 _"_ _We'll be able to understand each other?"_ she asked.

"Most likely. And if you manage to keep them in line and not cause any fights, then perhaps I'll try again to get you out of this paddock," Gordon smiled at her reaction. Her demeanor changed and she shook her head enthusiastically.

Gordon led the Raptors into the paddock, "I'll make sure they connect with you just fine, but other than that, you'll have to communicate with them yourself." He released the Raptors, allowing them to think by themselves again.

The first thing Blue saw was a massive white monster. She jumped three feet into the air and rallied her pack behind her. _"Threat, threat, defend the pack!"_ she chanted, the other Raptors mimicked her.

 _"_ _I can understand you! Hello, my name is Saber,"_ Saber greeted as warmly as she could.

 _"_ _Understand, we can understand you. What are you?"_ Blue asked. The pack did not lower their guard.

Saber though for a moment, _"I don't know… but I am a friend."_ She didn't have a word for Indominus Rex in the Raptor vocabulary. But she wasn't technically lying, she wasn't sure what she was made from.

Blue approached Saber slowly, her pack flanking her on both sides. Saber lowered her large head to the ground and touched her snout to Blue's. Blue shrieked in glee and cawed in celebration. In her eyes, they had just made a powerful new member of the pack.

 _"_ _Are you alpha?"_ Blue asked. She had seen the red Raptor that claimed to be their alpha taken away from them, unconscious. In her eyes, this white monstrosity was a much better fit as alpha than the red Raptor.

 _"_ _I can be alpha,"_ Saber had a vague understanding of what it meant to be an alpha. If she was alpha of this pack, then it would be much easier getting along with the Raptors. Instinct told her that she should've found a pack a long time ago. She was just glad to have one now.

Gordon watched the pack communicate, wondering if it was best for Saber to become the Raptors' alpha. If she became their leader, it would be difficult to separate them. He could interfere now, but he knew the Raptors would connect best with Saber if she led them. He could always wipe their memories when they had to leave.

XXX

Commander Hamada watched as the Spino was lifted onto a special semi. The semi would drive the Spino back to the Cretaceous Cruise and then put him on a barge. The barge would then be brought to his paddock where he would be caged in again. Repair would fix the gate after the Spino had been put back.

Hamada figured that it was only a matter of time until the Spino escaped again. There was something about that old Spino. He was too persistent, too ferocious, and went too far to accomplish his goals. Hamada had no doubt the Spino would escape and come after him specifically for revenge.

At least the Spino would stay down until his eye recovered. Hamada doubted he would see out of that eye ever again. Hamada had never intentionally caused harm to one of the animals, and he never liked it when it happened accidentally either. It was what made him the best of the best, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He cared more about hurting the Spino than him being potentially fired.

Not that he was actually worried about being fired. As far as he was concerned, the Jurassic World board could suck it. He had never liked the group of nine who had enough power to override even Masrani's decisions if they didn't like it. They came whining to him, threatening to fire him every time he lost a soldier or an innocent was injured.

His job was to contain the animals, a job that he did well. If they wanted to fire him then he could just sit back and watch Jurassic World go to hell. They'd call him back and he'd drag Jurassic World back from the depths.

Not that he didn't like his job. He loved his job, and the Jurassic World board would have to _physically_ kick him off of the island in order to get rid of him. And he would fight them every step of the way. At least he knew Masrani and Claire would vouch for him, and he had his impressive record to speak for him, but if the Jurassic World board got enough shit from this incident, then they might actually go through with firing him.

"Commander," a soldier walked up to him and saluted. Hamada turned towards the man, barely being able to tear his eyes from the massive Spinosaurus. The soldier was a rookie recruited only three weeks ago. "Control wants to know why you aren't answering."

"Tell them that I'm busy. I do not wish to speak to Miss Claire at the moment," Hamada said gruffly.

"Claire's not the one calling," the soldier explained. He had met Claire only once, and he would never forget her icy voice. "The person calling is a man."

Hamada turned his wrist communicator back on reluctantly, "This is commander Hamada."

"Hamada, thank god you picked up," it was Lowery, and he sounded out of breath, as if he had been running a marathon. "The Raptors have escaped! The park is going into lockdown in the next… ten minutes!"

Hamada clenched his fist. He knew how big of a threat the Raptors were, although ACU never had to deal with them. Hoskins' men were the ones guarding the Raptor paddock. He knew that Raptors were the biggest reason the original Jurassic Park had shut down. "We're still dealing with the Spino, but we'll be done in a minute. Is there anything specific you need me to do, or should I follow standard lockdown procedures?"

"Follow protocol for now. Tomorrow morning, Hoskins is taking ACU hunting for the Raptors to eliminate them," Lowery said. The line went dead.

 _Eliminate,_ the word reverberated in Hamada's mind. He had never put an animal down before. His job was to contain, not kill. "We've lost a lot of good soldiers today, sir. You look tired, go home, commander. We'll finish up here and complete lockdown procedure," the soldier said, smiling at the commander. He saluted and walked away.

Hamada was hesitant to leave. Every single elite ACU member, excluding himself, and several newer members died tonight. Hamada wasn't much of a religious man, but he thought leaving before the bodies had been bagged was disrespectful to their memories. Eventually, he decided to say a quick prayer, to who, he had no idea, and he left.

XXX

Owen and Wu were visibly shaken when they managed to enter the lab. The gate to the main park had two guards checking IDs, and they decided to try and search the vehicle. Wu managed to threaten them with a promise of complaining to Masrani, but their troubles did not end there. The back door was locked… and Wu had left his keys in his office.

The labs were connected to the visitor's center, which was where all the employees were gathering during the lockdown. So the duo had to _carry_ Sam wrapped in blankets all the way to Wu's lab. Claire gave them a strange look, but didn't say anything. She called Masrani and told him that Wu was inside the park.

Hoskins saw them too. He wanted to go and ask Owen where he had been for the past few hours, but decided that it was a bad idea. Owen had no idea what happened and the less Hoskins had to explain, the better. What he did see, however, was something poke out of the blankets the two were carrying. They rounded the corner before Hoskins could confirm his suspicions, _was that a Raptor?_ he thought.

Owen and Wu did look mighty suspicious carrying around a blanket. And he was certain he just saw a Raptor's tail. He decided to go and catch them red-handed. After all, he couldn't have a Raptor in the visitor's center. Before he was able to round the corner, Masrani stepped out in front of him, "Good evening, Mr. Hoskins." Hoskins sighed before addressing Masrani, there was no way he could get away from him. He would approach Owen after this incident ended.

Owen and Wu dumped Sam onto one of the large tables in the lab. Thankfully, all of the other geneticists were out in the visitor's center. The people who saw Wu didn't try and stop him. Wu was allowed to do what he wished, and no one looked twice at Owen, assuming he was helping the chief geneticist.

Sam wriggled out of the blankets, _"You could've been gentler."_ Even though she managed to free her body, the blankets were caught in her claws.

"Stay down, I'll get the equipment," Wu said before Sam could stand up.

Sam hissed at Owen, _"Could you get these infernal things off of me?"_ Owen chuckled but obliged. It was not long before she was free from the ratty, old blankets. Owen folded them haphazardly and made a mental note to remember to take them on his way out. They were his only blankets.

"Here we go, hold still, this will hurt a bit," Wu said, coming back with a pair of elongated tweezers and a bottle of alcohol. He approached Sam, getting right up next to her, but he stopped. He passed the tweezers over to Owen saying, "Here, you do it."

"What? Why me?" Owen asked.

"You were in the military, you have experience with this," Wu shrugged.

"I was in the _navy_ , I've never pulled a bullet out of a man before," Owen argued.

 _"_ _Can you quit your bitching and just do it! The bullets are starting to hurt,"_ Sam snarled. Owen grumbled, but took the tweezers and the alcohol and began to remove the first bullet. No one wanted to work with an angry Raptor.

"Just now starting to hurt?" Owen mumbled sarcastically. He wrenched one of the pieces of lead free. Sam hissed in pain, but did not lash out. Owen poured some of the alcohol on a provided cotton ball and disinfected the area. He repeated the process for each of the bullets on her side before moving down to her leg.

"Hold her leg still," Owen said, foreshadowing her kicking like crazy when the final bullet is removed. Wu did as requested and held Sam's leg still as Owen removed the bullet. Sam thrashed about, but did not injure either of the men.

"There, not so bad was it?" Wu asked. He flinched under her intense gaze. "Turn back and get dressed, we'll bandage you when you're human again."

Sam nodded and went into Wu's office, nudging the door closed with her nose behind her. Then it was just Wu and Owen. "Tell me everything," Owen said.

Wu sighed and sat down, motioning for Owen to do the same. He then recounted everything that had happened to him. "For now, just pretend you have no idea where your Raptors are," Wu said.

"I _don't_ actually know where they are," Owen reminded him.

"I don't actually know where Dr. Freeman has taken them, but I assure you, they are safe with him."

"Fine, I'll just have to get ahold of him later," Owen sighed. Sam came out wearing a simple white shirt and a lab coat, but she could not find any pants. Wu began to bandage her wounds immediately while Owen watched. "How long do you think it will take to get a cure ready, Doc?"

Wu finished bandaging Sam and turned around to face Owen, "Truthfully, it could take weeks or even months. I'm not even sure if I can find a cure. You may be stuck like this forever."

Sam stretched and said, "I don't know why you'd want to change back. Being a wereraptor is great, heightened senses, better eyesight, I can understand other Raptors, what's not to love?"

"How about that I can't control this, huh? How about I don't remember anything that happened while I'm a Raptor. What if I've killed people?" Owen said, his voice low.

"Yeah, you've killed people," Sam said nonchalantly. She continued stretching, her human body felt so weird after being in her Raptor form. "You've killed two of Hoskins' InGen soldiers that we know of."

"And almost me," Wu pointed out.

"And almost him," Sam echoed. She cracked her neck and said, "What if we tried to help you control your Raptor side, rather than getting rid of it all together. How would that sound?"

Owen thought hard. On one hand, he could go back to being human again. He could pretend this entire incident never happened. He could go back to training his Raptors. And, on the plus side, he wouldn't be able to understand the Indominus either.

But, on the other hand, there might not be a cure. He knew that he was making no progress with his Raptors and perhaps being able to understand them would help in training them. If he didn't start to make progress, they would be put down for good. But then again, he would be working with Wu, who made him into this monster, and Sam, who had willingly helped _and_ was exactly like him.

Owen was in a pickle. But if he turned this down and there turned out to not be a cure, then he would sorely regret having not at least tried to take control of his Raptor form. "Alright, I'll do it," Owen said. Then again, if there was a cure and if he managed to gain full control of his Raptor side… what if he didn't want to turn back?

XXX

 **Ooh, new conflict emerges. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter of the first arc. The Indominus got some new friends, Owen's going to learn to control his Raptor side, and Hoskins saw Sam in her Raptor form… duh duh dun! We're so close to 50k words and 100 pages, next chapter will definitely push us over the edge. I can't wait!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12 - Susurrus:

Author's Note:

 **Welcome all to the second arc! I'm sure everyone's excited but before we kick things off, I have something to say. I'm thinking about getting a cover picture for the story. But I can't seem to find anything I like enough to rip off of Google Images and I cannot draw to save my life. So… I'm asking you all to give me a hand! You can either draw me what you think would work best as a cover or you can find a picture that already does it justice and send me the link. If you do draw me something and post it somewhere (like Deviant Art), give me the link in a review or you can PM me. Anyways, please send me covers and whatnot, and let's get on with the story!**

XXX

The night crawled on. The lockdown started at midnight and the lockdown procedures took over two hours, nearly three. After everyone was accounted for and the perimeter was secured, all of the employees began to file out of the visitor's center to head home. Not Owen, of course.

Neither Owen, Sam, nor Wu left the lab. Wu had already begun to tinker with a potential cure for Owen's predicament. Sam had decided to assist him. They were making no progress.

He sat alone for some time until the door opened and Hoskins walked in, followed by Masrani. "Owen, where is Dr. Wu?" Masrani asked. Owen pointed towards Wu's office and the CEO vanished behind the office door. Then it was just Owen and Hoskins.

Owen grinded his teeth and did his best not to leap from his sitting position and sock Hoskins right in the jaw. Wu had told him everything Hoskins had done. But revenge would come later… when Masrani wasn't around. "Can I help you?" Owen asked.

Hoskins crossed his arms and began to walk around the lab. "What were you and Wu carrying into the lab that was covered?" _There's no use dancing around it,_ Hoskins thought to himself.

"Wu asked me to give him a hand carrying some new equipment, why do you ask?" Owen said, narrowing his eyes. There was no way Hoskins knew, right?

"No reason, just wondering," Hoskins said. He stopped by one of the tables in the room, taking note of the blood on the floor. He walked back around to the desk Owen was sitting at. He slammed his hands onto the desk, causing Owen to jump, "Where is the Raptor, Owen?"

 _Shit!_ Owen thought to himself. "What Raptor?" Owen tried to calm himself mentally. Hoskins might've seen something, but there was no way he had any proof. Sam was human again, if only he could get to Wu's office. Hoskins might not be so eager to toss accusations around when Masrani was looking.

"Don't bullshit me, Owen. The one that I saw hidden in the blankets," Hoskins pulled a swivel chair around and sat down. "Lab equipment my ass!"

Owen thought for a moment. "You're insane," he said simply.

"Insane? Insane that I clearly saw a Raptor tail sticking out of that blanket? What about the blood on the floor, over there?"

"Yes," Owen said, "There is only me, Wu, and Sam in the lab."

"Sam? When did she get here?" Hoskins had met Sam only briefly when she was still Wu's assistant.

"She was already here when Wu and I were carrying the equipment." Hoskins made a mental note about Sam. It didn't make sense that Wu would ask Owen to help if Sam was already here.

"What about you? You know that your Raptors escaped, right? Where have you been?" Hoskins sighed and leaned back into his chair. He wasn't going to get anything out of Owen. It was better to keep an eye on Wu and Sam, something was definitely fishy here.

 _Because you released them!_ Owen wanted to scream at him. But he was able to hold his cool. "I am aware of the Raptor situation, I was on a date," he said. At least it wasn't a lie.

"A date?" Hoskins was actually surprised. He had thought Owen gave up dating after the 'disaster date' with Claire.

"With Sam," Owen said.

"Well, I hope you had fun. See you later," Hoskins said suddenly. He stood up and started to walk away. He wasn't getting anywhere here, he would corner Wu later… and maybe Sam. They're more likely to slip up than Owen is.

"Wait, where's Barry?" Owen asked menacingly. He had heard Dr. Freeman's speculations through Wu and was aware of the possibility that Barry had been knocked unconscious by Hoskins.

"He's in the hospital. He took a nasty blow to the head when the Raptors escaped," Hoskins said, leaving the lab. Owen glared at the door he left through.

"Thanks for the update, keep up the good work!" Masrani said as he shut Wu's office door behind him. He let out a deep breath and put a smile on his face. Although the Raptors had escaped, Wu was still making headway in the lab. The larger the dinosaurs, the more people would come to see them. A thought that made Masrani happy.

He spotted Owen on his way out of the lab, "Oh, Owen. Terribly sorry about your Raptors… a search team is being released in a few hours, are you going with them?"

Owen put a fake look of hope on his face. He already knew that his Raptors were safe, the search party wasn't going to find anything. But he had to pretend, for Masrani's sake. "A search party? We're going to get my Raptors back? When does the party leave?"

Masrani looked surprised for a moment, "Owen, I thought you knew… this is a search and destroy mission."

"What?" Owen was not aware of that fact. He hoped that the Raptors were somewhere no one would find them.

"Well it's leaving in three hours if you want to be there for your Raptors' last minutes," Masrani said solemnly.

"Thanks, Mr. Masrani," Owen said as Masrani walked out of the lab. Masrani nodded his head to show that he had heard. "At least they won't find anything," Owen mumbled to himself when Masrani had left. _I hope,_ he thought.

XXX

Hoskins was at the head of the small search party. They had waited until first light to go out hunting the Raptors. Eliminating every advantage the Raptors had was crucial. The Raptors could be anywhere, and they could attack from any angle. The only advantage ACU could think of was numbers.

Although they could not get ahold of commander Hamada, they had fifteen soldiers in the party. Plus Hoskins that made sixteen. There were only four Raptors. Each soldier was armed to the teeth with lethal weapons. Semi-automatic rifles to be exact.

Hoskins was also armed. He didn't wear the same armor ACU did, but he had a bullet proof vest. Which wouldn't be as helpful when the Raptors would be aiming for the head and he wasn't wearing a helmet. He carried a pistol. He planned on picking up his revolver when they got to the old visitor's center.

"Why don't the Raptors have trackers in them?" one of the ACU asked.

"Owen insisted that the Raptors could not escape. Besides, we didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with these animals," Hoskins explained.

They continued walking deeper into the forest. The further they went, the more dangerous the Raptors became. Hoskins hoped they were still at the old visitor's center. But he had a feeling that the rogue Raptor had freed the others and ran. And there was still the possibility there was a Raptor at the visitor's center.

Hoskins jumped slightly when one of the soldiers started to fire into the bushes. "What the hell?" Hoskins snapped, snatching the rifle away from the soldier.

"Sorry, sir! I thought I heard movement," he said.

"How long have you been with ACU?" Hoskins asked. There was no way a trained ACU member had fired at rustling bushes.

"Five days, sir."

"What?" Hoskins said, "What about the rest of you?"

"I've been here the longest, ten days," one of the shorter soldiers said, raising her hand.

Hoskins slapped his hand to his face, _We're doomed,_ he realized. There was no way a couple of rookies could take on six fully grown Raptors. "So I'm stuck with a bunch of newbies?" Hoskins asked angrily.

"Well, all of our experienced members died to the Spinosaurus," the soldier who had been firing wildly said.

"Great," Hoskins mumbled. He hesitantly handed back the soldier's rifle, considering whether it was wise to give an inexperienced fool a gun. It wouldn't be so bad if Hamada was here. He could whip even the most inexperienced idiot into shape in an instant.

The group continued even more cautiously. They were aware that the soldier's firing may have alerted the Raptors, not to mention their voices. If the Raptors were in the vicinity, they have already started the hunt. "Fan out," Hoskins ordered.

Just as they began to search the area, the foliage began to rustle again. The soldiers all pointed their guns at the bush, but they held their fire. Just in case it was just the wind. Dr. Freeman stepped out from behind the bush.

He didn't look the least bit surprised. "This is quite the welcoming party," he said with a small smile.

"Who are you and what are you doing out here?" Hoskins asked, waving his gun at Gordon.

"Research," Gordon said simply. He had been out here for an hour, waiting for Hoskins to show up again. But he couldn't attack with all of the ACU around. He has to get Hoskins alone.

"Why aren't you in the main facility on lockdown? We're here hunting the escaped Raptors," one of the soldiers asked. The group had lowered their weapons, Gordon was no threat.

"No one told me that we were on lockdown," Gordon said. It was true that control had never alerted him, but he was more than aware of the lockdown. "I saw a group of Raptors a few hours ago jump into the ocean and swim away."

Hoskins narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. "Well I guess the Raptors are gone by your word. We can lift the lockdown," he shrugged. ACU packed up and headed back towards their armored vehicles.

Gordon walked close behind Hoskins. After ACU were all packed and ready, Gordon whispered to Hoskins before he got into his own vehicle, "You and I need to have a talk later… alone."

"I would say the same," Hoskins growled, revving his ATV's engine and rocketed away. Gordon watched him go before walking back to the old visitor's center. It was a five minutes' walk from the ACU's previous position. Once at the old center, he climbed into his own vehicle and shot off towards the main facility.

XXX

Claire did her best to remain clam as Masrani continued to ask about Hamada's current whereabouts. She had no idea where he was. He wasn't responding to any calls, neither on his wrist communicator nor on his cell phone. None of the ACU soldiers who she had spoken to seemed willing to divulge their commander's location.

"The board meeting starts in twenty minutes, and I know they will want to have a word with the commander," Masrani said. Masrani was actually more concerned about Hamada's safety, but the board beckoned.

"I can go to his house and see if he's there," Claire sighed. This would be the second time she had to go to someone's house this week.

"Please do, and be careful too. Although Hoskins says the Raptors have left the island, I don't particularly trust his word," Masrani warned. He was worried that Hoskins didn't find the Raptors and concluded that they had left. _Maybe I should go and talk to the other soldiers,_ Masrani thought to himself. They'd help corroborate Hoskins' story.

Claire called Zara and asked her to find Hamada's location. It was surprisingly close to where Wu lived. On her way out of the building, she spotted Dr. Freeman. "Dr. Freeman!" she called out to him.

He turned around to face her, "Oh, you. Yes, what do you want? I'm kind of busy here."

She ignored his comment, "Then I'm here to interrupt you again. I need your help finding commander Hamada. You seem to have a talent of breaking into people's homes and I thought you could give me a hand."

Gordon raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He followed Claire out of the building, "You can just call me Gordon, you know," he said to her. She smiled at him and they got into her car and drove off towards Hamada's house.

Hamada lived in a very similar house to Wu's. It was a two story building colored an interesting shade of yellow. There was a large white fence separating Hamada's front yard from his back, preventing the duo from going to the rear entrance.

"Well? Go ahead," Claire said, motioning towards the door. She didn't even bother to knock.

Gordon stared at her, "So let me get this straight, I trick Wu into opening his door and you think I can do the same to Hamada?"

"He won't even consider opening the door if he knows I'm here," Claire said. She figured after he hung up on her after the Spino was down, he still didn't want to talk to her.

"Right…" Gordon said looking at the door. He was absolutely still for a moment. Claire quickly became impatient.

"Well?" Claire said again.

"He's asleep," Gordon said simply.

"Really?"

Gordon pointed up at the second story where he assumed Hamada's room was, "I can hear him snoring."

"That's just great, we have a board meeting in…" she looked at her watch, "ten minutes and I know they want Hamada there."

Gordon gripped the door handle and easily swung the door open. Hamada had forgotten to lock it. Gordon started to enter Hamada's house, but was interrupted by Claire.

"Are we just going to walk in?"

"You said this was important, right?" Gordon said and continued inside. Claire sighed but followed anyways. It was better than last time when he shut the door on her.

The two trekked silently through the house to reach Hamada's staircase. Well, as silently as Claire could walk in heels. As they reached the top of the staircase, Claire noticed that there were four rooms. All of the doors were open. "Which one is it?" Claire whispered. She couldn't hear Hamada's snoring so she relied on Gordon to lead her.

Gordon walked forward a few paces but stopped when Claire let out a muffled yelp. Someone had grabbed her from behind and put a gun to her head. "Commander Hamada," Gordon greeted without turning around.

"You? What are you doing here?" the commander asked. His eyes were bleary from just waking up. He had heard the duo enter his home, he never was a heavy sleeper, and thought they were robbers.

"I think you should let Claire explain," Gordon said, finally turning around. "And my name is Dr. Gordon Freeman, commander."

Hamada released Claire quickly. He didn't realize it was her he was holding hostage. He shoved the simple pistol into his pants. He was wearing pajamas and had no pockets. Hamada made a motion with his hand and led the duo into his dining room where they could all sit.

Hamada was exhausted. He knew that there was going to be a board meeting after the Spino incident, but he had no idea it would be so early in the morning. "Alright, I just need a few minutes to get ready. Go ahead outside and wait for me," Hamada said.

Claire and Gordon prepared to leave, but Hamada halted them, "I just want to have a quick word with Dr. Freeman." Gordon slumped back down into his chair. Claire threw her hands up in the air and left the building. It was as if Hamada didn't realize they had somewhere to be.

"A minigun?" Hamada asked.

"A prototype. I'm the Indominus handler, you see. However, I think the design needs to be modified. It was so ineffective against the smaller Spino, I can't imagine how Saber would react to it," Gordon shrugged. Of course, Gordon did not plan to use the minigun against Saber, it was unnecessary.

"Good plan. I just want to thank you for saving my life and everything… but I just wish you had gotten there sooner to save more of my men."

"Well, Lowery and I slowed the damn thing down…"

"The skinny guy with the mustache at control? He fought the Spino?" Hamada asked, surprised.

"Not exactly, but he was there when it escaped," Gordon chuckled slightly. He grew serious for a moment, "I just want you to know that my timing is irrelevant. All of your men would've died even if I had been there from the start."

Hamada sighed, "I know. And I know that it is unfair to try and blame you."

"Just think about what you need to say to the board to keep your job. Not to put pressure on you or anything, but I doubt ACU will be half as effective without you."

Hamada watched as Gordon left the building. He back upstairs to change into something more presentable. Gordon's words rang in his head. _That's right… I can't let them kick me off the island,_ Hamada thought. He was the only thing standing between the park and total annihilation.

XXX

The board meeting took place in a large conference room. The conference room was located near Masrani's office. One side of the room was one large window, the other walls were covered in paintings. Some were incredibly valuable, some were just pretty to look at.

There were nine board members, not including the head of the board. There were seven men and two women on the board. They all wore generic suits and dresses, not a single one of them stood out.

The head of the board was a man named Jason Anderson. He too wore a generic black suit and tie, but he had shaved his head completely bald. He was in his late thirties and had a serious expression on his face.

There was a very large table in the middle of the conference room. It sat twelve. On one end sat Anderson and on the other sat Masrani. The other nine members sat in the middle, Claire taking the spare seat to the right of Masrani. Gordon, Hoskins, Owen, and Hamada all stood behind Masrani.

The board had requested to speak to them all except Gordon. None of them were quite sure why the good doctor was present, but none of them attempted to evict him. The Jurassic World board had quite a bit of power. They made the final decision on all attractions and approved every dinosaur and hybrid the lab makes. They were also responsible for incidents such as this one.

"Is everyone here? Good, then let's begin," Anderson said. He folded his hands on top of the desk.

Masrani stood and began to explain to the board exactly what had happened. He told them about the storm, the power outage, and the Spino's escape. Then Hamada took over and gave his report on stopping the Spino. "The Spino is currently back in his paddock. The electric gate is fully functional as of this moment," Claire finished.

Anderson sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Need I remind the board that a storm had destroyed the original Jurassic Park. Why wasn't the Spinosaurus paddock equipped with a back-up generator?"

"… We didn't think it was necessary. The gate puts out three times the amount of volts the T-Rex paddock did in the original Jurassic Park. That's enough to kill a full grown Suchomimus, and there aren't many back-up generators that can put out that kind of power for more than a few minutes," Claire explained.

"Oversights like this are what the media is looking for. Because of the number of casualties, Jurassic World could be in big trouble. Even though no visitors were harmed, we are likely to take an attendance hit. This is unacceptable," Anderson continued.

"So we put in a back-up generator. It will be difficult to find one that we can actually use…" Claire suggested but was cut-off.

"No. I move that we terminate the Spinosaurus, he is much too dangerous. All in favor say aye," one of the board members said.

The board chorused, "Aye!" The way the voting process worked was one of the members proposed a movement and the rest of the board got to vote. The head was only allowed to vote if there was a tie.

Gordon clenched his fist but remained silent. "As for commander Hamada, this is the second time over half of ACU was defeated under your command, yes? And since the first time, ACU has over doubled in size. What do you have to say for your actions?" Anderson asked.

"I did my duty both times. Both the Indominus and the Spinosaurus are in their respective cages," was the only defense Hamada offered.

"Noted, how does the board decide commander Hamada's fate?" The decision was not unanimous this time. "It is a tie, which means I shall cast my own vote."

"Commander Hamada, you have an admirable track record here at Jurassic World, however, that does not excuse the massive loss of life under your command. Which shows your recklessness. The fact that you are the only senior member of ACU left means that it is time for some new blood. I vote to strip you of your title and send you back to the mainland," Anderson finished.

Both Claire and Masrani stared at Anderson in shock. Hamada had actually been _fired_. Hamada himself was surprised. But he saluted and began to leave the room. There was no point staying where he wasn't wanted. "If I may interject," Gordon said, stepping forward.

"What?" Anderson asked, clearly annoyed.

"I would suggest you let Hamada see a psychologist or therapist on the island before you send him back to the mainland," Gordon said.

"And why would we do that?"

"Hamada just witnessed thirty of his comrades killed in action. If you let him go without making sure he is psychologically sound… he could sue for a hefty sum. Wouldn't you rather avoid that?"

Anderson seethed while thinking Gordon's words over. _He has a point,_ Anderson thought to himself. Masrani clapped his hands together, "That sounds like an excellent idea. Comman-er… Mr. Hamada will stay on the island until he sees a psychologist. Then we can continue depending on the psychologist's verdict."

Anderson sighed, "Very well." He waited for Hamada to leave the room until continuing. "Alright, what is next?"

Hoskins stepped forward and began to recount the events of the Raptor escape. Of course, he was lying through his teeth. "And according to Dr. Freeman, the Raptors have left the island," Hoskins finished.

Anderson looked at the good doctor, "Is that true, Dr. Freeman?" Gordon nodded but did not speak. "Very well then. I move to disband the Raptor project." He was met by a chorus of 'ayes' from the other board members.

"Owen Grady and Vic Hoskins, the Raptor project is permanently shut down. No new Raptors are going to be bred on this island. Mr. Hoskins, you are to return to InGen immediately, as for Mr. Grady, you too are out of a job," Anderson explained.

Owen felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He had been training these particular Raptors for well over six years. The job was dangerous but the pay was good. What was he going to do? He couldn't just stay, they'd be taking back his bungalow. He had to get a new job, _preferably one here,_ he figured.

Anderson stood, "Meeting adjourned." And then he left, the board members meandering out at their own pace. Hoskins rushed out after Anderson, hoping to have a word with him.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Hoskins asked Anderson. They had taken several turns away from the conference room so no one could overhear their conversation.

"I am doing what's best for Jurassic World, Mr. Hoskins," Anderson replied.

"Cut the bullshit Anderson, you and I both work for the same person, and you know that he wants the Raptor project to continue."

"Really? Because I was told he cut the project three years ago after you had made no progress, Hoskins," Anderson hissed. His entire demeanor changed. He no longer stood straight as a board and he dropped the formalities.

"I was under the impression that he wanted Raptors for war."

"He moved on three years ago with the Indominus, weren't you there for that?"

"He said that the Indominus was a failure…" Hoskins was starting to lose confidence.

"Are you fucking stupid?" Anderson growled. "The Indominus was a failure, but that doesn't mean you take steps backwards! He's moved on!"

"So why haven't I been notified of this?" Hoskins asked.

"He's been trying to contact you for three years, he's not happy with you. He thinks you've been ignoring him. He told me explicitly to tell you to go back to Isla Sorna to speak to him."

"Why would I go back, then?"

Big mistake. Anderson growled again and _shoved_ Hoskins up against the wall. He held Hoskins up by the neck, impressive considering how much taller and heavier Hoskins was than him. "You think that I'll just let you do that? I'll kill you right here!"

"Alright, alright!" Hoskins choked out. He was losing oxygen fast.

Anderson dropped him on the floor. Hoskins collapsed like a sack of potatoes. "Pathetic," Anderson commented. He began to walk away from the wheezing man, "I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to kill you himself."

Hoskins continued to gasp for breath long after Anderson left. _Shit,_ he thought to himself. He had no choice… he had to go back. There has to be a way for him to save himself. He sat in the same slumped position for several minutes, thinking what he could do to save his skin.

XXX

Gordon was leaving the visitor's center. He had watched Hoskins and Anderson walk off together but decided against investigating further. He planned on dragging Owen off to the Indominus paddock to show him that his Raptors were just fine, but Owen had disappeared the moment the board meeting ended.

Owen was highly distraught over everything that had happened to him. Gordon completely understood. _I wonder if Owen could join ACU,_ Gordon thought to himself as he kept walking towards his truck. His truck had taken minor damage in the fight against Dracul.

A few minor scratches on the sides where the truck had brushed up against the massive Spino and three large claw marks on the roof where the Spino tore off the minigun. Nothing worth fixing in Gordon's opinion. _Dracul,_ he thought bitterly.

There was no doubt the Spino was a monster. Gordon knew very little about the Spino's history, but he did know that the Spino was still an animal. And all he wanted was freedom. He was still worried about the odd connection Saber seemed to have with him, _he always answered her roars,_ Gordon realized.

Maybe the Spino _was_ a monster. But that didn't mean he deserved to be executed. Gordon began to plan ways to prevent the Spino's inevitable euthanization. He was so caught up in his planning, he didn't hear Hamada approach him from behind. Not that Hamada made much sound at all when he walked.

"Dr. Freeman," Hamada greeted.

The good doctor spun around to see the ex-commander. "Hamada," he greeted.

"Thanks again, I guess. I owe you more than just my life. But I don't know where I'm going to find a psychologist on this island."

"Well lucky for you they didn't say the psychologist had to be non-biased. Because if you're looking for a psychologist, I'm the guy to go to," Gordon smirked.

"Isn't that cheating?" Hamada asked.

"There's no such thing as cheating in this game," Gordon clarified. He opened the door to his truck. "Come by the Indominus paddock tonight… around eight. I'll give you a diagnosis then. I've got something to do right now, so I'll see you then."

He shut the door and rolled down the window as he was driving off. "Oh, and don't worry about repaying your debt! I've got something you can do for me!" he called out before he was out of earshot.

Hamada watched Gordon go, wondering what he was getting into. There was no telling what Gordon would make him do, but it couldn't be worse than dying. Besides, as long as he was still on the island, he could continue working with ACU. The pay never mattered much to him anyways, it was always about keeping the island safe.

XXX

 **There we go! Yet another chapter down. A lot happened, we're introduced to Anderson (another name I got from a random name generator). He and Hoskins both work for the same person, I wonder who it is? For those of you wondering why Hamada is slightly arrogant, I have a very good reason. He's stopped both the Indominus and the Spino, he's allowed to have a slightly inflated ego… I didn't make it too bad, did I? Anyways, send me possible covers and keep reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13 – Harbinger:

Author's Note:

 **Hey everybody. I hope you're ready because this chapter is new and improved. I had rewritten the entire chapter from scratch. I downloaded Open Office, reluctantly, and I have decided to continue the story from there. So, we'll be getting updates more frequently than I had foreseen. Anyways, my old laptop is completely fried. I can't boot it up, the hard drive is dead... so I really have no choice.**

 **So originally, I had planned to tell you about a website I found, /park-map/. It's an accurate depiction of Jurassic World, minus the Indominus exhibit and the attractions I have added for the sake of the story. By the way, I found out that Jurassic World calls their visitor's center the "Innovation Center" so I will be using the proper term from now on.**

 **Oh, as I was waiting to see if I could get the original chapter, I had been re-reading my own story. I have made a mistake in chapter one (I.E the prologue), I had accidentally written Hamada as dead... whoops. I plan on finding time to figuring out how to fix that... but until then, to minimize confusion, Hamada is not dead, he was just wounded during the battle against the Indominus.**

 **We also have our first piece of fanart! Thank you RedlightningD608 for this piece. Here's a link:** **art/Tedium-fanart-620345540** **. It's just a bunch of scenes from my story compiled into one picture. Enjoy this chapter, finally!**

XXX

Hoskins was in a bind. Since the Raptor program was shut down, he had been effectively fired. Normally, you were given ten days to clear out of your house before you were locked out, but Hoskins had been summoned back to Isla Sorna. Which meant he had to leave immediately.

Owen, Barry, and Hoskins all lived in bungalows in the restricted zone. It allowed them to be closer to the Raptor paddock. That way, if a Raptor escaped in the middle of the night, when security was lessened, they wouldn't have far to travel.

Hoskins pulled up to his bungalow in his car. He planned to be on Isla Sorna before the day was through. Which meant he had to take a ferry ride back to the mainland and then a different ferry to Isla Sorna. But he didn't want to look suspicious, so he decided to pack a small suitcase before he left.

Hoskins had no illusions about what was going to happen to him on Isla Sorna. In his opinion, he would be lucky to even make it to the island. He had no idea what the big boss had in store for him, but he knew it would literally kill him.

Hoskins paused before exiting his vehicle. His current situation was starting to catch up to him. He held his head in his hands before slamming his head onto his steering wheel. "What am I gong to do?" he mumbled to himself. He stayed in that position for several minutes, trying to think of a way out of his predicament.

But every idea that came to him was shot down. He knew personally how ruthless the big boss was. He lifted his head suddenly. Finally, an idea that could at least soften the blow. At the least, he would make it onto the island to plead his case.

He leaned around the driver's seat and started to rummage around in the back seats of the car. Like Owen's bungalow, the back seats of Hoskins' car was something out of a nightmare. Years of papers and empty chip bags had been piling up in the back seat. He dug around for a moment until, "ah-ha," he said to himself.

He pulled an old flip-phone from the garbage. He flipped it open, praying that it still worked. _Bingo,_ the screen lit up and he typed in a number he knew by heart. He held the small phone up to his ear and waited.

It buzzed three times before someone picked up. "This is Alpha," a gargled voice said.

 _He's still using the same voice modifier,_ Hoskins realized. "This is Raptor Prime," it took Hoskins a moment to remember his codename.

"Ah, I've waiting to hear from you," the voice said. The voice modifier made it difficult to tell whether it belonged to a man or woman, but Hoskins knew it was the former. "Three years, Raptor Prime, three years I've waited to hear from you."

"I know, I'm sorry. We were just starting to make progress and I must've lost the phone..." Hoskins started to explain. He knew that excuses would only make the man angrier.

"The last report I got from you says that the Raptors have been making no progress. And here we are, three years later, and the Raptors have still made no progress."

Hoskins flinched but didn't bother to try and argue. "Sir... are you sure you want me to leave Isla Nublar? I know that the Raptor program was shut down, but surely..." Hoskins was cut off.

"Of course I'm sure I want you to come to Isla Sorna. Why would I give the order if I wasn't sure?" the voice asked rhetorically.

"I am unsure if you are aware of the current situation concerning the Raptors, so I thought that..."

"I am fully aware that the Raptors have escaped _and_ you have failed to terminate them. I was told they have left the island."

"Sir, I believe that the Raptors are _still on this island_. I saw their handler, Owen, acting suspicious, and that doesn't even begin to cover the rogue Raptors..." Hoskins began.

"Wait, back up. What rogue Raptors?"

"Weren't you told?" Hoskins said innocently. He had found a weak spot. If he could convince the big boss that his eyes and ears were better used on Isla Nublar, there was no doubt he would be allowed to stay.

"Anderson must have... forgotten to tell me. What proof do you have of the Raptors remaining on the island?" the voice sounded intrigued now.

"I saw Owen sneak one into the innovation center."

"Owen Grady... he's the Raptor tamer, isn't he? You said he was acting strange?"

"Definitely strange."

It was silent for a full minute. Hoskins was starting to think that he would come out of this alive. "What about the InGen soldiers on Isla Nublar? Shouldn't they have contained the Raptors?"

Hoskins grimaced, there was no point in hiding it, "The soldiers are dead, sir."

"Really? Anderson didn't report this, how did they die?"

Yet another strike against Anderson. Perhaps Anderson could be the stepping stone to Hoskins' salvation. "I have no idea. One minute, they were all fine, the next, they were all dead. No wounds were visible on their bodies. This morning I went hunting the Raptors, all of the bodies were gone, sir."

"Damn... no wounds you say?" the big boss asked. He seemed less concerned with the deaths of the soldiers and more concerned with how they died.

"That's right. Not a scratch on them."

"I had no idea _he_ was on the island. In that case we'll have to move fast..." the gargled voice trailed off, clearly thinking of something.

Hoskins got out of his car and headed towards his home. He seemed to be in the clear. The big boss was trying to come up with a plan, a counter-strategy to whatever, or whoever, killed those men. Perhaps Hoskins himself would be included. Hoskins entered his house before speaking up, "What about me sir? Shall I stay here?"

"No... no... if _he_ is on the island, you need to leave for Isla Sorna immediately," the big boss sounded more exhausted than angry.

"But sir..." Hoskins started to complain but froze when he entered his bedroom. "I have to go, I'll be on Isla Sorna by midnight." Hoskins said suddenly.

"Raptor Prime! Raptor... Hoskins, don't you dare hang up on me, I'm not done..." he was cut off when Hoskins snapped the phone shut.

Hoskins took a deep breath. He might have just screwed himself. He turned towards the man in his room. "What do you want?" Hoskins asked.

Dr. Gordon Freeman chuckled, "I want to give you a way out." He had been sitting on Hoskins' bed, but stood when Hoskins addressed him.

"I don't need a way out," Hoskins said.

"Really? He didn't sound too happy when you hung up on him," Gordon said. He started to walk towards Hoskins.

"What do you have in mind?" Hoskins asked.

"Follow me," Gordon said. He and Hoskins left the bungalow and headed towards a white truck. _How did I miss that?_ Hoskins wondered. Gordon had clearly beaten him to his house, how did he not see the large white truck?

"Where are we going?" Hoskins asked. They had been driving for several minutes now. No end in sight.

"Home," the good doctor answered cryptically. He kept driving. It took only five minutes more until they reached their destination. The Indominus paddock.

Hoskins recognized the place immediately. "Why are we here?!" he started to panic.

"This is where I work, and where I live. Home, as it were. You'll soon find out what that means for you," Gordon said, getting out of his truck.

Hoskins slammed the door behind him and tried to run away as fast as he could. He did not get far. "Do you really think that I would let you get away from me again?"

"Again?" Hoskins managed to choke out. His entire body had frozen up.

Gordon ignored him and started to walk towards the entrance to the viewing room. Hoskins followed closely behind him. His legs were moving against his will, as if he had just lost connection to them.

Hoskins only started to panic further once inside the viewing room. He noticed that there was a large, Indominus sized hole in the protective glass. "T-t-there's a hole in the g-g-glass," Hoskins stuttered out.

"Don't you think it ties the room together nicely?" Gordon asked sarcastically. He approached the hole in the glass. He turned away from Hoskins to stare intensely into the paddock. Hoskins took the opportunity to struggle with all of his might, but he made no progress.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Use your imagination," Gordon suggested, turning back towards the man. Although his body was completely calm, Hoskins' mind was terrified.

Suddenly, loud, heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room. The Indominus burst into the clearing with a loud, violent roar. Gordon led Hoskins down into the paddock. Gordon shoved Hoskins forward, between himself and the massive Indominus.

Hoskins collapsed onto the ground when he regained control of his body. He stared up at the enraged beast, but to his credit, he did not weep. Gordon waited a moment for Hoskins' body to catch up with his mind. Trembling broke out all over Hoskins' body, yet he still did not cry out.

"I'm sure you've figured out what is going on, but to make it clear... I'm giving you a choice," Gordon explained.

"A choice? I though you said..."

"I know what I said," Gordon replied calmly, "I offered you a way out. Judging by your phone call earlier, you're going to die if you go to Isla Sorna."

Hoskins calmed down, ever so slightly. Dr. Freeman seemed to be keeping the Indominus at bay. He had nothing to fear, for the moment. He stood up, but did not turn his back to the Indominus. There has to be a way out of this.

 _"I say just kill him! I'm going to bite his fat, little head..."_ Saber growled out. She began to crawl towards Hoskins, trying to keep her head as close to the ground as possible. It would be easier to snap him up that way.

"You'll do well to remember what I told you," Gordon reprimanded her. She hissed but halted her advance.

 _He can control her!_ Hoskins realized. Perhaps this was like a job interview. Gordon was threatening him to try and get him to switch sides. "What are my choices?"

"You can either: get down on your hands and knees and beg forgiveness from her," Gordon pointed at the enraged Indominus, "And she might let you live. Or you can walk towards me, and die a horrible, horrible death."

Hoskins thought for a moment. "There's no guarantee that I'll live, is there?"

"You're getting it now," Gordon said. Hoskins was doomed. There was no way the Indominus would allow him to live after what he did to her.

"Why are you doing this? You could just let me go, I'm going to die on Isla Sorna anyways!" Hoskins pleaded.

"No, I have to be sure. Besides... this is more poetic, don't you think?"

"Poetic, what are you talking about?"

 _"Has he forgotten? Don't tell me he's forgotten!"_ Saber growled. She dug her claws deep into the ground. The temptation of killing Hoskins was hard to resist.

"Don't you remember what you did to her when she was just a hatchling?" the god doctor asked.

"I raised her! I took care of her! I didn't do anything," Hoskins was shaking even more now than he had been when he first entered the paddock.

 _"Are you really that stupid or are you just ignorant?"_ Saber hissed, forgetting that he couldn't understand her.

"You starved her, Hoskins. You starved and tortured both of them," Gordon said.

 _"I had to eat her... it was the only way. Survival of the fittest, and all,"_ Saber sneered.

Hoskins finally turned his back to the Indominus. "I have nothing to apologize for," he said while walking towards Dr. Freeman. "I would rather die by a human's hands than some filthy animal's!"

Hoskins had an idea. Gordon had left the door to the paddock wide open. If he could rush past the good doctor before he knew what hit him, he would be home free. He wouldn't have to die today. There was still a chance he could convince the big boss to let him live.

Gordon only stared at the large man in disappointment. "Pride? Why do you think dying by a human's hands is better than an animal's? You have no pride, Hoskins. You cannot make it past me either, not with you projecting your intentions that obviously."

Hoskins froze once again, no longer able to move. "But, despite your wish to indulge my sadism, but I'm afraid I am going to have to hand you over to her." Hoskins turned around against his will to see the Indominus' blazing crimson eyes right next to his face.

"Wait, wait, wait! I thought you said you would end me!" Hoskins cried out.

"I never said that. I said that you would die in the most painful, bloody way imaginable. Unfortunately for you, the most painful, bloody way imaginable is to let Saber have her dues," Gordon explained.

Saber let out a bone-chilling roar and grabbed a hold of Hoskins. She stood at her full height, carrying Hoskins in her claws, and chomped down on his legs, tearing him in two. Blood splattered the ground, staining the soil red.

Gordon kept talking, though Hoskins could not hear him very well over the Indominus' loud roars and his own screams of pain. "I gave you the chance for her to be merciful, but I guess you were a too big a fool to realize."

Despite being torn in half, Hoskins was still very much alive. He kept struggling, but his efforts were fruitless. Saber devoured him slowly, savoring the moment. But, as she continued to crunch into his chest, he stopped screaming. She finished the job by cruelly snapping into him one more time, swallowing the rest whole.

 _"Human's are so fragile,"_ she growled, annoyed. Blood stained her muzzle and her claws.

"Feel better now?" Gordon asked.

 _"He tasted most foul, but yes, I do feel better,"_ Saber said. She lied down on the ground and began to groom herself. She tried to lick the red off of her claws but she made little progress. _"When is that ACU commander getting here?"_ she asked.

"Don't get greedy. We need him," Dr. Freeman warned.

 _"And we didn't need this one?"_ Saber asked. She had finally managed to bring back the ebony color of her favored middle claw. She scrutinized her job, making sure it was clean, before moving on to the next one.

"Hoskins was never a pawn in this game," Gordon explained, "he was just an insect who had managed to crawl onto the board."

XXX

Owen was in a similar situation as Hoskins. Sure, his life wasn't on the line, but he had been fired. It was a strange feeling for Owen. He believed he had really bonded with the Raptors, and being able to understand them should have made the bond stronger... but they were gone.

Owen felt almost... lost. A similar feeling to his life prior to joining the navy, and subsequently, Jurassic World. The emptiness was what actually bothered Owen. He didn't know what to do or where to go.

He spent a few hours at the Jurassic World hospital by Barry's side. Barry had severe head trauma, he would not be awake for several days. Hopefully with his memories intact. At least his condition was stable, Owen was thankful for that. He had no idea how to tell him that he had lost his job.

It would not be the best thing to wake up to. But there wasn't any other way to break it to the man. The entire experience was disheartening for Owen. He and Barry spent so many hours with the Raptors. The duo had cared for them as hatchlings and raised them until they were deemed too dangerous to be free.

 _All that work down the drain,_ Owen thought to himself. He was wandering around the park, aimlessly. He had nothing to do. He planned on clearing out his home on the very last day he was given.

Owen continued walking until he heard an announcement. "The T-Rex show will begin in ten minutes," the loudspeaker said. Several guests rushed towards T-Rex kingdom. Owen stopped walking.

In all his years at Jurassic World, he had hardly been on Main Street. He had never gotten to see any of the attractions. When he arrived on the island, he had been rushed immediately towards the labs so he could imprint on the Raptors. It was all work and no play from the moment he landed.

 _Screw it,_ Owen decided to go and see the Rex show. Out of all the attractions on the island, the T-Rex was the oldest and the most impressive. Rexy, as she was affectionately named, was a towering, forty foot long, female T-Rex from the original park.

Owen watched along with the rest of the crowd in the viewing room as Rexy burst from the bushes with a roar. Several kids screamed as she leaned down to snap up the goat in the paddock. Rexy let out another roar of victory, a roar Owen knew well. He had heard it every night since his first night on the island.

He remembered the roar scaring him shitless his first night on the island. It had sounded as if the huge predator was escaping. Owen had slowly but surely become fascinated by the beast that made the Earth-shattering roars. It only took Owen a few days to realize how quiet the world seemed after she had roared.

Rexy's caretaker began to rattle off facts about the old Rex. Owen focused more on the Rex herself. The Rex was so much different than the other two massive carnivores on the island. Despite the fact that she was the eldest, she was also the smallest of the three.

Rexy carried herself with a grace the other two lacked. It wasn't just grace the elder Rex had, but a type of _presence_ about her that was far different than the other two. Rexy was graceful and seemed to have much wisdom in her eyes, but the pure power she held herself with contrasted with her smaller size and old age. Owen had no doubt that Rexy could best either of the larger carnivores on a one-on-one fight.

Saber was different from Rexy in the fact that her _presence_ was almost pure insanity. Her crimson eyes held both great tragedy and immense bloodlust. Despite her suffering and desire for revenge, Saber's _presence_ held great intelligence within it. More so that either Rexy or Dracul. And that was why she was dangerous.

Dracul was a different monster all together. Although his _presence_ did not have the same grace or power that Rexy had, or the insanity and intelligence Saber had, he had persistence. Dracul never gave up. He was old, not nearly as old as Rexy, but nearing his mid thirties, and very powerful. And he knew it. There was a type of arrogance in Dracul that neither Rexy nor Saber had. And it was this arrogance that drove him to the ends of the Earth to settle a score.

And despite all of this, they endured. Dracul had been a wild dinosaur for nearly thirty years and had firmly established himself as the alpha predator of an entire island. Saber had clearly suffered throughout her life and yet she is clearly earning her place at the top of the food-chain on the island. And Rexy... Rexy had survived the original park's collapse as well as surviving on her own for over twenty years.

 _Survive,_ Owen thought. He just had to survive. He knew, or at least he hoped that Wu was right, that his Raptors were safe on the island. Even though he had been fired, his Raptors still needed him. He has to remain on the island. But how?

Owen didn't notice that the T-Rex show had ended. He stood in place, staring out into the paddock. He ignored the Rex's caretaker's hard shoves. Suddenly, the thought hit him. Claire.

He snapped out of his stupor and dashed out of the viewing room. He had to find Claire. Neither of them liked the other, but if there was one thing Claire was it was a business woman. If there were any job openings at Jurassic World, she would put him there. Allowing him to remain at Jurassic World.

Owen rushed towards the only place he could think Claire could be. The Innovation Center. _What about my Raptor form?_ Owen thought. If he went to the mainland and he turned into a Raptor, like he inevitably would, he would, he would be extremely dangerous. He could kill dozens, and the only way to stop him would be his own death. The thought made him run faster.

He was walking so fast that he wasn't watching where he was going. He rammed right into someone, knocking her onto the ground. Owen remained standing.

The woman on the ground grumbled to herself as she struggled to gather her dropped items. Her purse had spilled as it hit the ground and she had dropped the book she was reading. It took Owen a moment before he remembered his manners.

He dropped down to his knees to help her pick up her stuff. He grabbed her book and helped her stand up once all of her belongings had been stuffed back into her purse. Owen noted that she was reading _The Hobbit._ "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran right into you," Owen apologized to the mystery woman.

She was quite a bit shorter than he was, only reaching five foot six. She nervously brushed her blonde hair behind her ear and accepted her book back when Owen offered it. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been reading while walking." She brushed dirt off of her simple cargo shorts and black t-shirt.

She looked at him and smiled brightly. Suddenly, she narrowed her striking, violet eyes, scrutinizing him. "Hey, I know you! You're Owen Grady, the Raptor tamer!" she exclaimed.

Owen raised an eyebrow, how did she know who he was? He had never seen this woman before. "Oh, right, sorry... I had heard they canceled the program." Now Owen was even more confused.

"Uh, do I know you?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, no you don't. I don't even really know you either, my brother works here and he told me about someone fitting your description and how he had gotten fired today. And then I heard about what he... you... did for a living and I really wanted to meet you! But I swear this isn't on purpose, I'm not stalking you or anything," the woman laughed, brushing hair behind her ear.

"Right... well, nice to meet you, I guess," Owen said. This was weird.

"Oh, my name is Mary Giddings! It's nice to meet you," she said awkwardly. She held out her hand for Owen to shake, which he did reluctantly. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat? It's almost noon..." she said suddenly.

Owen considered turning her down, after all, he had somewhere to be. But then again, he hadn't eaten in quite awhile. He ended up agreeing to her request. She grabbed his arm and led him to a small restaurant he had never been to before.

They took a seat and ordered drinks and simple salads to eat. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until Owen decided to ask a few questions. After all, she seemed to know everything about him already. "So, what do you do for a living? Do you work on the island?"

"Oh no. I'm here on vacation visiting my brother. I'm actually an architect," she explained. "I've only actually been here three days."

"I see. How are you enjoying Jurassic World?" Owen asked, "After I was fired, I went through a few of the rides myself. It feels like _I'm_ on vacation."

She smiled at him and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I love it here. I wish I could stay longer than two weeks."

"You mentioned that you have a brother that works here? Is he, by any chance, the Indominus caretaker?" Owen asked.

Mary gave him a strange look, "My brother works at control. Why would you think he was the Indominus caretaker?"

"Oh, no reason..."

"No, really, why? I haven't actually been to the Indominus show yet, so I'm curious."

"Well... you both have the same eye color. Purple is quite rare, so I thought..." Owen said.

"Really?" her tone darkened for a moment, "It must be a coincidence then. Who knows? Maybe I have a long-lost sibling!" Mary laughed nervously, brushing hair behind her ear. Her awkward chuckling was cut off by their food arriving.

They ate in silence. Mary occasionally glanced backward, as if she was paranoid about something. Every time she turned her head, Owen could see two streaks of blue in her hair. It was clearly dye. The two streaks started out above her ears and came all the way down her shoulder-length hair, connecting at a point. Like a 'V'.

Once Owen finished his meal, he paid for both of them and stood to excuse himself. He had just remembered that he had somewhere to be. "Wait!" Mary called out to him before he could get too far from the table.

He turned around with a questioning look on his face. Mary scribbled something down on a napkin with a pen she had in her purse. "It's my number... call me!" Owen nodded and left the restaurant. _Finally,_ Owen thought to himself, _A date that didn't end in disaster._

Mary smiled as she watched him leave. The moment he was out of her sight, the smile dropped off of her face. A scowl settled in its place. She pulled a flip-phone from her purse and flipped it open. She dialed a number she knew by heart and waited.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up. "Yeah, it's Bluebird. I just finished with him. Whatever Hoskins told you before we lost contact is reliable, there is something strange about him."

She interrupted the gargled voice on the other line, "No, you aren't gonna believe this. He, at the very least, truly believes himself to be a Raptor." She waited for the muffled shock on the other end before continuing, "Yeah, I know. He _can_ actually talk to them, though. So there's that."

The gargled voice spoke once again. "Yeah, I can do that. What do you want me to do about the other one?" she asked. The voice on the other end only said one word. "Nothing? Are you sure? I can _take care of her_ if you want... alright, that's fine. Whatever you say."

"A new assignment? Yeah sure, I'm not really doing anything..." she started to say before the voice began giving commands. After each sentence, Mary's grin grew wider and wider until she couldn't help herself from bursting out laughing.

She was met with several stares that she ignored. "Oh, finally! Something good! Do you know how bored I am? I've been to the T-Rex show over ten times! I can definitely do this, in fact I'll do it right now!" she stood from her chair and began walking towards the exit.

"What?" she asked. She slammed herself back down into her seat, "That's not fair! Why do I have to wait?" she complained, once again drawing unwanted attention. The garbled voice said something to which she responded, "Fine, fine. Whatever... speaking of potential problems..."

She slammed her hand down on the table and practically yelled into the phone, "Why didn't you tell me _he_ was on the island?" She waited for the garbled reply before bursting out again, "Bullshit! My own protection, don't be stupid. I can handle myself. What if I were to pay _him_ a visit? You couldn't stop me!"

She paused as the garbled voice began to speak in slow, halting commands. As if giving orders to a slow-witted child. "Fine, ruin all of my fun. I'll get to _him_ eventually, right? I wonder if _he_ still remembers..." she snapped her phone shut and sighed. Life was no fun.

XXX

Thankfully, park attendance did not go down because of the lockdown. Jurassic World opened on time and none of the patrons were aware of what had happened. Of course, that situation might very well change once Masrani finished his report to the press.

Once the media gets a hold of the story, and they will get a hold of it, they'll use it to damage Jurassic World. It was a way to boost their ratings, and Claire respected the business move more than she despised them for attacking Jurassic World. Even if they hadn't done anything yet.

Claire knew that once patrons realized that the Spinosaurus and the Raptors, two of the most dangerous dinosaurs on the island had escaped... they could be ruined. Even if the Spino was back in his cage and was going to be terminated and the Raptors had fled the island.

Which was why Claire was rushing the Spino-Rex exhibit. The Spino-Rex had only been in his paddock for three days, but Claire was just waiting for the all-clear to release him to the public. If the Spino-Rex was unveiled the day after the media printed their story, the damages wouldn't be irreversible.

Sam stood next to Claire, clipboard in hand. She was monitoring the Spino-Rex to make sure he was healthy. "So, will he be ready for next week?" Claire asked.

Sam pulled a pen from behind her ear and scratched something onto her clipboard. "I'm not sure. Something just doesn't seem to be right," she said.

Claire began to panic, "No, there can't be something wrong. This has to be perfect, perfect!"

"What did you say his measurement was?" Sam asked.

"Forty-three feet."

"There's the problem. Our projected growth only puts him at thirty feet. That's ten feet off."

"I don't see how that's a problem," Claire shrugged.

Sam sighed, Claire just didn't understand sometimes. "We've been feeding him according to this growth model. If he's growing faster, that means he isn't getting enough food."

"What should we do?"

"From now on, we're going to be feeding him... thirteen times a day, at least until he hits full size."

"Thirteen times! That's more than the Mosasaur," Claire complained.

"It should make up for the lack of food he's been getting up until this point. At this rate, Claire, he'll reach a full sixty feet by the end of next week."

"Bigger is better," Claire said. She turned back towards the Spino-Rex's paddock. The hybrid was being kept in a very similar container to the Spino. He was at the Cretaceous Cruise, but unlike most of the animals, he was kept in a large cage. The cage was surrounded on three sides by solid concrete while the fourth side, which faced the river, had an electric gate so passersby could see him.

The Spino-Rex, however, had a large viewing room for people to come and watch up close. The Spino had a much smaller room for his caretaker, who's only job was to feed him. With the Spino being terminated soon, there was no point upgrading the paddock to have a viewing room.

"I would just like you to know that we have no idea how long he's going to live," Sam said, interrupting Claire's thoughts.

"Why is that?"

"Because he is growing much faster than we predicted, our model is off. If we adjust for his current growth model, he could be dead by the end of the month. I am just warning you that we have never made a hybrid this big before, nor have we given any of our dinosaurs this high of an accelerated growth factor."

"So you're saying that this is more of a prototype, if it suddenly dies, you'll be willing to make another?"

"Of course," Sam said. "This would be the first time we were so far off though..." she mused. The Indominus had been born with a sister because no one was sure how likely either were to survive. It was best to have two just in case one failed. After the immense success of the Indominus, the labs started to produce just a single egg.

"Claire! Claire!" someone shouted. Loud footsteps echoed through the mostly empty viewing room. It was Owen. He halted near the two women, panting heavily. He had ran all around the park looking for Claire. Finally, he had found her assistant, Zara, who pointed him in the right direction.

"Right, well, I'll just go and report this to Dr. Wu," Sam said. She quietly backed out of the room.

Claire put her hands on her hips, "What do you want?" Claire and Owen never got along very well after their disaster date. They avoided each other and they barely spoke.

"I need a job. Is there anything open at the moment?" Owen said. He had finally caught his breath.

Claire thought for a moment. On one hand, she could tell him there was nothing and be rid of him forever but, on the other hand, Jurassic World desperately needed ACU soldiers. And since Owen already had military training, he was more than qualified. "We have several ACU positions open," Claire sighed. The business side of her won out.

Owen mentally cheered. "ACU is perfect. Uh... can I have an application?"

"Of course. Follow me," she commanded. The two exited the Spino-Rex's paddock and headed towards the Innovation Center. Claire was in deep though throughout the ride to the center. Owen was a start to the ACU problem, but Jurassic World needed at least thirty soldiers to be effective, not to mention a competent commander. _And then, of course, we have no idea when the Spino-Rex is just going to drop dead,_ Claire rubbed her head. Could anything else go wrong?

"Hey, what have you decided to name him?" Owen asked out of the blue. The two were on the monorail back to Main Street. There was no one else in their car.

"Excuse me? We aren't naming the Spinosaurus-Rex," Claire insisted.

"You really should name him. It's rude to just call the animals assets," Owen complained. This was one of the stances they constantly fought over, when they weren't avoiding each other.

"They're just animals, Owen," Claire sighed. This was the last thing she needed today.

"The Spino has a name! And so does Rexy!" Owen argued.

Claire crossed her arms, "Rexy is different, and I heard that _you_ named the Spinosaurus. And the Indominus too."

"Well, not exactly. I mean... I _did_ name the Indominus, but I didn't really name Dracul..."

Claire smirked, "If you care so much, why don't _you_ name it, then."

"Well, I don't know. I mean, I guess. Sure why not?" Owen shrugged. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Owen was satisfied that at least the Spino-Rex was getting named, but there was still one thing nagging on his mind, "He's not an it. And if I name him, you have to call him by that name." Claire only groaned.

"Like I said, you call Rexy by her name," Owen argued. He thought in silence for a moment. "How about Triton, or Poseidon?"

Claire raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"He's like the king of the sea... only he's in a cage and he only has a river. I don't know, I'm not good at this," Owen shrugged.

"Triton is not king of the sea. I am not calling the Spino-Rex either of those."

"Well I'd like to see you come up with something better!" Owen said.

Claire thought for a moment, not realizing that Owen was tricking her. "How about Capax?"

"What?" Owen asked.

"It's Latin for large. He's going to be sixty feet so I thought..." Claire started.

"Capax is fine. I didn't know you knew Latin."

"I know a little..." Claire admitted. It went quiet again, but it wasn't long before Claire burst out, "Hey! How did _I_ end up naming him?" Owen only smirked. Claire sulked the rest of the ride.

XXX

Because of the hole in the viewing room glass, the Indominus shows had been canceled until the glass could be replaced. Of course, Saber did not want to have the glass replaced. She liked being able to put her head into the viewing room and just rest it on the ground. It also brought her closer to Dr. Freeman, which was easier for him because he no longer had to go down into the paddock to have direct contact with her.

Dr. Freeman had promised her to attempt to get a sliding door. That would allow for there to be a barrier during shows and he could remove it in-between. She was elated and had been humming a tune in the back of her throat as she rested her head on the floor. To her, it was one step closer to being allowed out of the paddock.

Dr. Freeman sat with his head on his desk, rubbing his temples. He looked to be in deep concentration. "This isn't going to end well," he mumbled without lifting his head.

 _"I don't see how we could fail,"_ Saber responded. She didn't let Gordon's mood get to her, she kept humming.

"We are dealing with an unknown enemy. We have no idea who he is, what he is planning, or how to stop him. We're flying blind, we have to wait for him to make the first move," Gordon continued.

 _"I have a feeling we're not talking about the same thing..."_

"What are you talking about?"

 _"The sliding glass, of course!"_

"Oh, that. That will be easy, Masrani would do anything if you asked nicely enough," Gordon said.

 _"That's good. As for your phantom menace..."_ Saber started.

"I never should've shown you Star Wars..." Gordon mumbled. One night, before she had starting doing shows, Gordon decided to try and give her a taste of human culture. She was not impressed by most of the things he showed her, until she fell in love with Star Wars. Hardly a day went by when she didn't reference it.

 _"It does not matter if they make the first move. You just need to wait until the man reveals himself and then... crush him,"_ Saber said nonchalantly.

Gordon lifted his head from his desk and gave her a strange look, "What's wrong with you?"

Saber looked confused, _"What do you mean?"_

"Normally you'd be rearing for a fight. Actually, now that I think about it, you should've said something along the lines of _and then bring him before me so I can tear him to pieces._ That sounds more like you," Gordon said, getting up and walking towards her. "Don't tell me... you're bloodlust has been sated?"

 _"I don't know what you mean,"_ Saber turned her head slightly, averting her eyes from his.

"I think you do... I think it's great that you're making progress, but now's not the time to go soft," Gordon teased.

 _"I am_ _not_ _going soft,"_ Saber snapped her jaws, Gordon didn't even flinch. _"I just want a moment to relax and enjoy my revenge, isn't that enough?"_ She pulled her head back through the glass. Her horns scraped the top of the window, knocking a few pieces of glass loose.

"Wait, hold on! I was just kidding, you know," Gordon called after her.

She began to stomp away, growling as she went. _"You haven't seen how_ _violent_ _I can really be!"_ she turned around with a savage roar, before continuing walking away from the viewing room.

 _That's more like it,_ Gordon thought to himself. "Am I interrupting something?" a voice said behind him.

Gordon turned around to see Hamada by the door. "Ah, Hamada, come in, come in," Gordon urged, stepping away from the hole in the glass. "Glad you could make it."

"What's going on?" Hamada asked. _Was he talking to the Indominus?_ Hamada thought to himself.

"She'll be fine. She just needs to relax," Gordon said.

"I mean, why am I here?" Hamada asked.

"Ah, right," Gordon said. He walked over to his desk and motioned for Hamada to take a seat. "Before I explain to you exactly what's going on, I'm going to need your word that you're going to help me. No matter how insane it may sound."

Hamada raised an eyebrow, _I guess I've got nothing better to do,_ he realized.

"Before you go thinking that, I know that you believe you have some sort of life debt to me. Forget about it. No matter your decision, consider your debt cleared."

 _I can't do that,_ Hamada sighed. "Very well, I promise to help. Now, what is going on?"

"There is a calamity approaching this island, and I have no idea exactly what it is. I know that there is a single person in charge and he plans on annihilating the park, for some reason I am unaware of," Gordon explained.

 _That's not helpful,_ Hamada thought to himself. "What _do_ we know, then?" he asked.

"We know that Hoskins was working for him. The Raptor project was actually a top secret training program to prepare the Raptors for war... However," Gordon started.

 _Wasn't the project shut down?_ Hamada thought to himself. He had no idea that the Raptors were being trained for war. He knew they were dangerous, but it didn't seem like a bright idea to train them for war.

"Exactly, the project was shut down. We don't have to worry about Hoskins, he's gone," Gordon explained. He crossed his arms and looked towards the broken glass. "It's Anderson we have to be worried about. I believe that he and Hoskins are working for the same person. And for whatever reason, this mystery person needs _you_ off the island. Which is why I took the liberty of quote-on-quote 'saving' you."

 _Me?_ Hamada thought, _Why is taking me off the island so important?_

"Unfortunately, I don't know... there's another problem too. Because we don't know exactly what this mystery person is planning, I have no idea how to develop a counter-strategy."

Hamada was silent for a moment. Suddenly it all made sense. Although he couldn't give himself all of the credit, he _was_ an extremely effective commander. All of the strategies and training ACU used were of his own design. Without him, ACU was lucky to even be half as effective. Especially since most of its current members haven't even completed training yet.

Gordon brightened considerably, "It seems as if you've figured it out. But why is disabling ACU so important?" Gordon asked. He started to rub the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up and closing his eyes.

Hamada gave Gordon a strange look, before realization hit him. "You're in my head, aren't you?"

Gordon snapped his violet eyes open and stared at Hamada. He grinned and said, "Very good. Not many people can tell when I'm reading them. It just proves how right I was about you're skill. Now, let's get down to business," Gordon said. Hamada leaned closer to listen. "Anderson isn't just targeting you, there's another suspected target. One of you might be a decoy, but it would be better to try and save both of you. That's what I need you for."

Hamada nodded, "Very well. Who's the target?" Hamada made a mental note to interrogate Dr, Freeman further. He had just brushed off Hamada's accusation.

"Dracul."

"The Spinosaurus? The one that we just put back into his paddock?"

Gordon nodded, "The very same. They plan on euthanizing him tonight."

 _"_ _ **WHAT!**_ _"_ a loud roar sounded inside the paddock. Loud stomping could be heard and the Indominus Rex burst into the clearing. She shoved her head into the viewing room, ignoring Hamada and growling at Dr. Freeman, _"What do you mean he's going to be euthanized?"_

"I mean, they're going to kill him," Gordon said, walking over to the distraught hybrid. Hamada stared at the massive hybrid. He remained calm, but fingered the pistol by his side.

 _"Why didn't you tell me?"_ Saber asked.

"I had planned on stopping them before you ever found out," Gordon explained.

"So you _can_ talk to it. What's going on?" Hamada asked.

"Her name is Saber. She's worried about Dracul."

 _"They should be the one's worried. If he dies, not even you can stop my rampage,"_ Saber growled.

"How is this possible?"

Gordon sighed, "Telepathically, of course. Look, we don't have time for this. Like I said, I have a plan to save Dracul and put a wrench in Anderson's and this mystery person's plans."

"What do I need to do?" Hamada asked.

"If Anderson is indeed working for the same person as Hoskins, then he is extremely dangerous. We need to neutralize him immediately. For now, I want you to go to the ACU barracks and dismantle as many weapons and tranquilizers as you can."

"Isn't disabling ACU the exact opposite of what we want to do?" Hamada asked.

"It's too late to save ACU, they have already been effectively crippled without you. It's best to get them out of the way so Anderson can't use them. After you disable as many weapons as you can, go the the veterinary wing and steal as much etorphine, diprenorphine, and barbiturates as you possibly can. Without them, they can't put Dracul to sleep or kill him quietly. And without ACU's weapons, they can't kill him inhumanely either."

"You're going to have to write those down, doc," Hamada sighed. He had never heard of those chemicals before.

Gordon began scratching a few things on a piece of paper. "Take as much as you can carry, destroy the rest. Your priority is remaining inconspicuous. After drugging and having ACU killing Dracul is off the table, Anderson will have to resort to something less legal. That's when we'll get him," Gordon explained. He handed the piece of paper over to Hamada.

"You have an hour to do as much damage as you can. After you have finished, make yourself scarce. I'll expect you back here same time tomorrow, unless I call for you sooner," Gordon said.

Hamada saluted as he was trained to do. He left the viewing room and headed towards his car. An hour was plenty of time.

 _"Are you sure it's safe to reveal your secret to him?"_ Saber asked carefully.

"Positive. He basically figured it out on his own anyways. At least this way, he can trust me. For now I'll have him be our undercover agent. While I'm on the front lines, he'll be doing the majority of the damage behind the scenes," Gordon said.

He readjusted his glasses and cracked his neck. He began to walk out of the viewing room when the Indominus crooned to him, _"Where are you going?"_

Gordon smirked but didn't turn around, "I'm going to use this silver tongue to win us a new ally. I'll be back." And with that, he was gone.

Saber retracted her head from the viewing room. Although she had been content a moment ago, bloodlust began to rise in her once again. _How dare they attempt to harm him!_ Saber thought to herself. Dracul had been kind enough to talk to her when she was feeling lonely, even though he had only been here a week.

Saber thought about warning Dracul about his impending doom, but decided against it. She wouldn't want to upset him. Besides, if everything went to plan, he would be fine. _Still,_ she thought, _I hope he'll be safe._

XXX

 **Finally! It's done. God, I hate Open Office. I spent well over three days just editing this chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Hoskins is dead (hopefully his death was satisfying), Owen is getting a new job, and Gordon has a plan. We learned a little about Dr. Freeman's powers, I wanted to keep it a mystery for as long as possible because it's fun. I gave you all hints along the way, of course. If you go back and re-read some of the chapters, his strange actions will start to make sense. We were also introduced to the new character Mary Giddings. What's her deal? All shall be revealed in the upcoming chapters. Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14 – Sonder:

Author's Note:

 **I think that it's best if I go a little deeper into exactly how telepathy works. The brain gives off something called "alpha waves" and a telepath can direct those waves towards objects that also contain alpha waves. A weak telepath can only communicate with another mind and a strong one can read another person's mind. And an incredibly strong one can control someone's motor movements. Just putting this here so it doesn't interrupt the flow of the story. On a different note, some of you may have noticed that I am experiencing a weird glitch with fanfiction at the moment. All the reviews you make do not show up on the site, even though it says they are there. I can still read them through my email, but I cannot respond to them. Don't know why this is happening (and it is still happening), but just know that I can still read the reviews (and I do appreciate reviews). Hope you enjoy!**

XXX

Wu sat at his desk in his office. He held his head in his hands, a migraine developing. He had not made any progress in finding the cure to Owen and Sam's condition.

He considered briefly that his progress was being impeded by the fact he didn't want to cure them. He had made a scientific breakthrough. Being able to splice human DNA with that of another animal's... that could change medical history. Making a cure was just dismantling everything he had achieved.

Sure, he couldn't tell the world what he had done, yet. He _had_ experimented on humans, clearly violating the laws of ethics. But he had no doubt his research would be important soon.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sam entering the office. She shut and locked the door behind her. "We've got a problem," she said.

"Tell me about it," Wu sighed.

"The Spino-Rex is growing at a rate we did not predict."

Wu lifted his head out of his hands, "How much faster is he growing?"

"He's hit forty-three feet already."

"That's not good. An animal of this size growing this fast..."

"Exactly. There's a chance he could just... collapse. We'd have no way of knowing when," Sam sighed. She slumped into one of the seats across from Wu. "I took the precaution of upping his food intake. That should keep him from starving to death. But that doesn't answer when he'll just die."

"He's just a prototype. We'll have another whipped up quickly and adjust the accelerated growth factor," Wu said.

Sam groaned, "Yeah, I know. But it's still sad to see an animal die and _know_ you were the one to mess it up."

"You get used to it," was Wu's only response.

"What's your problem? You sounded like you had a problem when I walked in."

"It's the cure. I'm having a hard time even finding the motivation to make it, let alone figure out where to start."

"Then don't. I don't want Owen to give up on learning how to control his Raptor side. It's great being a Raptor, I love it. And I know it'll help him connect to his pack... he just needs time to learn," Sam pleaded.

Wu chuckled, "I know you want to give teaching Owen a shot. But I have no idea what went wrong, maybe it's psychological maybe it has something to do with Owen's blood. I thought that it was strange he was so compatible with his Raptors... perhaps he was _too_ compatible. It might be impossible to get him to gain control over his Raptor form."

"I know that. But I still think I have a shot, and I don't want to ruin it by giving him a second option," Sam relented. She stood and paced around the office. "Well... what if we started by considering how the virus works."

Wu brightened considerably, "Of course. We can work backwards from there."

"Alright. Normally, every seven years, the human body finishes replacing every single cell. The virus does the same job in under three hours."

"But it doesn't just replace the cells, does it? No, it comes with new strands of DNA, and entire new chromosome is ingrained in every new cell," Wu said. He pulled out a few pieces of paper and began to write down the virus' process in reverse.

"And this chromosome is what is triggered during the transformation. It orders all of the bones and muscles and even the cells to rearrange themselves in the form of a Raptor... wait," Sam said.

"No, that's right. The same chromosome activates again to turn back to human form."

"No, I mean, wait. If we know how the transformation works, shouldn't we be able to isolate exactly what went wrong in Owen's cells? And then we could create a formula that fixes it instead of completely curing him."

Wu sighed in disappointment, "I already thought of that. There is nothing wrong with his cells. The chromosome is active and all the DNA strands that should be there are there. Nothing else is present. I have no idea what went wrong, and it may be impossible to tell exactly what, if anything, went wrong."

"Are you implying that I may just be an anomaly? That _I_ am the one who's transformation went wrong?" Sam hissed.

"I am saying that you two are our only test subjects. Perhaps the formula itself is flawed and you just got lucky." Sam just stared at him, she had never considered it to be a possibility. "In that case, we owe it even more to Owen to fix him. Now please concentrate on this."

"Perhaps we should give the virus to someone else, then we can see if it really works or not," Sam mumbled sarcastically.

" _You know we can't do that!_ " Wu hissed causing Sam to rear back in surprise from Wu's tone. "Besides..." Wu hesitated, "I don't have another injection ready. I'm not sure if we _can_ make another."

"I know, I know. Look, all we need is a sample of Owen's blood before the virus infected him," Sam said. She was slightly freaked out by Wu's change in tone.

Wu suddenly understood, "That's right... we take his original sample and modify it to fit the virus model, and then we inject it into him. And it should replace all of his cells again, this time without the extra chromosome."

"Well, you have work to do and I'm going to go and work out the new Spino-Rex growth model. Then I'm going home," Sam said, walking towards the door. She unlocked it and turned the handle before saying, "And if you do manage to nail down the cure... please consider not telling Owen. I want to have at least a day to try and fix him before you try and cure him." And with that, she was gone.

XXX

It was dark, very dark. The sun had fallen a few hours ago and the crescent moon was nearing its highest point in the sky. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Freeman did not bring a flashlight. He would've taken the monorail, but it didn't usually run this late. The park shut down at eight.

So the good doctor was reduced to making a beeline towards the Spinosaurus paddock in the dark. It wasn't like he was just fumbling through the jungle, hoping he was going in the right direction, no that would be stupid. He carried a little GPS in his hand that guided him towards the Cretaceous Cruise.

The GPS was specially made for Jurassic World patrons. It had the full park map plus all of the attractions to help guide the more directionally challenged guests. It wasn't exactly the most popular item at the gift shop.

The Spinosaurus was a slippery one. His mind hardly gave off any alpha waves, which made him obnoxiously difficult for Freeman to track with his powers. He had to get ridiculously close to even get a reading off of the Spinosaurus.

Gordon thought back to when he had attempted to prevent the Spino from escaping his cage. Although he had managed to find the Spino's primary motor cortex, Gordon could do little more than knock him on his side. Any more force without knowing the layout of the Spino's brain could have killed the animal.

Gordon eventually reached the large enclosure that housed the Spinosaurus. He switched the GPS off and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and waited. "Hello? This is Lowery," the voice on the other line said.

"This is Dr. Freeman," Gordon replied.

"How did you get this number?" Lowery asked. Gordon had managed to contact Lowery's station at control.

"I read your extension number off of the phone. I need a hand," Gordon said.

"What do you need," Lowery sighed. _Why is it always me?_ Lowery grumbled to himself.

"Open the back door to the Spinosaurus paddock... please," Gordon added at the end.

"Is he escaping again?"

"No, but I need to see him."

"Are you insane?"

"Irrelevant. Open the door, Lowery," Gordon said. Lowery hung up and the back door opened a minute later. _At least he only complained a little this time,_ Gordon noted. He entered the Cretaceous Cruise and headed around to the large electric fence.

He stood there for a moment trying to think of the best way to get the Spino's attention. As he thought, he felt the tell-tale tremors in the ground that signaled Dracul's approach. The darkness cloaked the large Spino so well that Gordon could only see the bright emerald eyes.

Correction, eye. The eye that Hamada had shot had become glassy and clear. Although it still reflected light, it was not the brilliant emerald it once was. _I guess they didn't bother patching it if he's going to be euthanized soon,_ Freeman realized.

The one gleaming eye narrowed as Dracul recognized the figure that stood before him. Although he could no longer see as well as he once could, he could still see the white coat and the violet eyes Gordon possessed. He growled audibly, trying to scare the smaller human.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman... I know that we got off on the wrong foot, but-" Gordon started but stopped. Dracul had not stopped growling, and it was only increasing in volume. "Oh that's right. You don't speak a word of English, do you?"

He had forgotten after spending so much time with Saber that not every animal spoke as much English as she did. She was extremely fluent in his language, and he often forgot she was a fifty foot killing machine. He had never found the time to ask where she had learned the language.

The Raptors knew quite a bit of English. They had grown up listening to Owen's commands, which were in English. It wasn't perfect, but it was readable by Freeman.

Even Rexy knew a miraculous amount of English. But Freeman had never gotten more than a passing glance at Rexy's brain, so he was unsure how much of a grasp she actually had. But it wasn't really surprising she knew some English, she had lived on an island with humans for her entire life. He had heard stories of John Hammond personally raising her, though he wasn't sure if they were true or not.

Freeman attempted to reach out with his mind to contact the Spino but he could feel nothing. This was going to be harder than he thought. He briefly wondered if communicating with the Spino was impossible. He wasn't anything like Saber.

Saber gave off an intense amount of alpha waves, so much that he could sense her across the island. It was to be expected, though. Her brain was over four times the size of a regular human's. And her strangely high IQ only helped her alpha wave output.

But the Spino was practically a black hole that seemed to absorb Gordon's mind as he tried to lock onto a signal. Finally, after several minutes of him concentrating, he found the weak signal. He attempted to make contact, but Dracul's mind recoiled and attempted to fight him off.

The good doctor was briefly reminded of when he had first made contact with Saber's mind. She had recoiled in the same fashion Dracul did. He had to practically wrestle her to the ground with his mind in order to make contact.

Dracul was significantly weaker than Saber. So much so that Gordon had to actually be gentle, lest he accidentally kill him. It was a short battle, but Freeman eventually broke through Dracul's barrier. Without killing him.

Gordon immediately set to work rummaging through Dracul's brain. He learned the layout for future reference, in case he needed to incapacitate the large animal. He then drifted through the Spino's memories, trying to learn a little about the thirty year old animal.

He found a few memories of interest, but everything else was just mundane hunting memories. He shifted towards the Spinosaurus language that was ingrained within those memories. Each sound was attached to a picture that allowed Freeman to quickly learn most of the language.

It only took a few minutes, but Gordon could tell Dracul was becoming distressed. He was making a strange mixture of a hiss and a growl and was constantly shaking his head. It felt as if a million bees were buzzing through Dracul's head, he just wanted it to stop.

Gordon pulled back to let the Spino relax for a moment. After the Spino began to glare at the man again, Gordon went back in. This time to speak. _"Apology,"_ Gordon's voice echoed through Dracul's mind in the Spino language.

Dracul's language was primitive at best. It was like a strange cross between a crocodile, Rexy, and the Mosasaur. Although the Mosasaur language only consisted of two words, _food_ and _not food_. _"Understand?"_ Dracul asked confused. He had no idea what had happened.

 _"Yes. I have warning for you,"_ Gordon said.

Dracul seemed actually intrigued by the little human that was able to speak to him. He had never met another being that could speak his language... except the strange one that he could sometimes hear throughout the park. He wasn't sure exactly what she was yet. He remembered that she had called herself Saber.

As Dracul recounted their brief conversations, Gordon darkened considerably, _"In danger, warning for you."_

 _"What, whelp,"_ Dracul growled. He began to lay down, to put his head on level with Gordon's.

 _Of course he has a derogatory term for me,_ Gordon sighed. _"You will be dead soon."_ The Spino had little concept of time, there was no way to tell him when.

Dracul's eye widened, _"Why?"_

 _"You are dangerous."_

 _"Why tell me?"_ Dracul corrected himself.

Gordon smirked, _"I need help. You must remain alive to help me."_

Dracul's eye narrowed, _"Why me?"_ he began to ask before realizing it was a stupid question. To fight, of course. Dracul considered himself to be, without exaggeration, the best combatant he knew of. A better question was "why not me?" He changed his question, _"What will I do?"_

A crude way of asking what his purpose was in Gordon's plans. _"You will do nothing, for now. Know that I saved you and you help later."_ Of course Hamada was the one saving the Spino, but it was not necessary to tell him that.

 _"I will help later,"_ Dracul echoed. Of course, now that Gordon knew the layout of his brain it was wasn't necessary to get the Spino's permission anymore. But Gordon considered mind control a last resort.

 _"Do good job and I let you met her,"_ Gordon promised, walking away from the Spino. He didn't actually want the Spino anywhere near Saber, but sometimes loyalty could be bought better with promises than with favors.

 _Well, I consider that a success. Now all we have to do is keep him alive,_ Gordon thought as he exited the Cretaceous Cruise. It was easier said than done, however. _But he'll no doubt prove to be a useful piece in the end-game._

XXX

It was relatively simple for Hamada to sneak around the ACU barracks. He knew the layout like the back of his hand and there was not a single person in sight. _There must be something going on,_ Hamada rationed. But he had no idea what it could be.

It still weighed heavily on him that he was no longer a part of ACU. He was on the SWAT team before signing on to Jurassic World ACU. ACU paid better, but he never dreamed that he would be made commander. John had been good to him when he was alive, and Masrani had done the same.

It almost felt like he was letting John down when he got fired. His job was to protect the park. Not just the people visiting, but the animals as well. And now he had to leave the job to a bunch of freshmen.

He looked down at the piece of paper Gordon had given him. Although it was only supposed to contain the names of the chemicals he was supposed to dispose of, it contained a few extra instructions. Hamada supposed it was to ensure he didn't forget.

 _You should move as quickly as possible, but don't compromise yourself. You have an hour to complete both tasks. At exactly nine thirty, ACU should come to the barracks to suit up. They'll be heading to put Dracul down. At the same time, the chemical used to euthanize Dracul will begin being made._

 _At the ACU barracks, disable as many tranquilizers as you can find. Smash them, bend the tips, cut off the needles, whatever. Then go through and sabotage as many guns as possible, we don't want them firing live ammunition at anything. Lock up when you're done._

It disturbed Hamada having to sabotage ACU. Gordon had refused to give all the details to his plan. _Dr. Freeman,_ Hamada thought. The good doctor was an enigma. Hamada knew nothing about the man, yet he had no choice to trust him.

Freeman had revealed bits and pieces of what was going on in the park, though not everything. Hamada had seen Freeman protect the park by trying to stop Dracul and he had defended Hamada when he was going to be booted off the island. Although Hamada did not fully trust the mysterious doctor, Freeman clearly trusted him.

Hamada slunk up to the side of the weapons storage room. He peeked around the corner to see... nothing. There was no one there. _Where is everyone?_ Hamada thought. He knew that there weren't many soldiers left and they didn't have anyone to lead them, but surely they should've left someone to watch over the barracks.

Hamada opened the door to the storage room, it was unlocked. Not that it would've mattered, he had the key. The room was big. The walls were lined with all the different types of weapons ACU used.

On one side was the non-lethal weapons. Tranq guns, net guns, and the electric poles they used. Underneath the weapons rack was three boxes. Each one for each different type of tranquilizer. Hamada opened the first box. Empty. It was the Indominus tranquilizer box.

Hamada opened up the next one. There were only a couple dozen tranqs left. ACU had fired most of them trying to down the Spino, they were in need of a restock. Hamada went to work disabling the last tranqs. He easily bent the needles with a pair of pliers he brought along.

The last box was for the Raptor tranqs. It too was empty. Hamada actually had no idea where these tranqs had gone. Perhaps Hoskins had confiscated them when dealing with the Raptors. It didn't matter. He could move on to the weapons.

He began with the tranq guns. There were fifty guns in total. Hamada opened up each one and plugged the barrel with a simple plastic cap Dr. Freeman had given him. All the while he was checking his watch, making sure he had enough time to get to the vet building before they started making the chemical.

Once all of the tranq guns were disabled, he turned his attention to the actual guns on the opposite side of the wall. The net guns were not practical to use in many situations, as ACU learned a long time ago while battling the Indominus. Thus they had abandoned using them, but kept them around in case of emergencies. There was no way to safely disable the shock sticks, as ACU colorfully referred to them as, without electrocuting himself.

There were only actually ten real guns. There had never been a reason to use them, so there was never a need for more than ten. They were for emergencies only. They were all carbon fiber assault rifles. Lightweight and easy to use, but had one weakness.

Hamada picked each one off of the rack and slammed it as hard as he could on his knee. The gun snapped in two, but it hurt like a bitch. At least there wasn't a magazine loaded into it. He did the same with each rifle before admiring his handiwork.

ACU has been effectively disabled. They had no tranquilizers, no tranq guns, and no assault rifles. Although they still had ammunition, it would take time to order new guns from the mainland. Hamada left the weapons storage room considering it a job well done.

He took his master key and locked the door. Gordon must've known he still had his master key. He was supposed to turn it in after he had been fired, but he had been neglecting to do so. After a split-second decision, he broke the key off in the lock. That way no one would be able to unlock the door.

He knew that there was another master key out there, probably owned by Masrani. Even if everything was broken inside, this would buy him more time. The weapons storage room's door was reinforced steel, there was no breaking the door down. The building itself was made of reinforced concrete and had no windows. They would have to literally blow the room apart to get into it.

Hamada headed towards the vet building with plenty of time to spare. He had only spent twenty minutes disabling all of the weapons. Preventing the chemical from being made was the easy part. But one thing still bothered him, _where are all of the soldiers?_

XXX

Owen smiled to himself as he leaned back into a small foldable chair. He was extremely pleased with himself. He had been hired on the spot. It was rather interesting, actually, Masrani had walked in on him filling out his application for ACU and he had just shook his head and said, "Don't bother. You're hired."

 _I guess they were desperate. Or maybe I'm actually_ _that_ _good,_ Owen thought. He and the rest of ACU all sat in a large auditorium in cheap foldable chairs. There weren't many people there, barely even twenty total.

Masrani, Claire, and Anderson all stood on a stage. Claire and Anderson sat in chairs behind Masrani, who was speaking from the podium at the front of the stage. Both of them looked extremely bored.

"Now I know many of you have already attended orientation, but quite a few of you have yet to attend. The reason all of you are here is because last night, over half of our ACU force died bravely attempting to stop the rampaging Spinosaurus. All were senior members of ACU and the previous commander has been dishonorably discharged," Masrani explained, taking a moment to glare at Anderson. He clearly was not happy with Hamada being fired.

"Not one of you has had more than three weeks experience with ACU. Some of you have yet to complete your training. And at least one of you was hired on the spot today. But I can assure you, ACU _will_ be back at its full strength by the end of the month. As for the new commander of ACU, he or she will be announced by the end of this orientation," Masrani continued.

"Psst, hey," the person next to Owen whispered. Owen turned to look at the man. Although they were both sitting, Owen could tell he was taller than the man.

"Never seen you before, you must be the new guy. My name is Daniel. Daniel Hopkins, but you can call me Dan," the man said, holding out his hand for Owen to shake. Owen accepted the handshake.

"It's that obvious, is it?" Owen asked. Masrani kept talking, but he was no longer listening.

"Dude, you're not wearing the uniform," Dan chuckled. Owen snorted but let Dan continue. "Anyways, I just wanted to welcome you. As of today, I'm the de-facto leader of ACU."

Owen raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"I have the most experience here."

"And how much experience would that be?" Owen asked incredulously.

"... Three weeks," Dan admitted. "But don't call me commander. That title is only given by Masrani. Just call me sir or boss..." the woman next to Dan smacked him on his shoulder. "Lieutenant will do, actually."

"Lieutenant Dan?" Owen deadpanned.

Dan laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah... hey, who do you think is going to make commander?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should listen and find out," the woman next to him hissed. She leaned around him to address Owen, "I'm Rebecca, by the way. Nice to meet you. Dan _forgot_ to ask what your name was." she glared at Dan.

"My name is Owen."

"No way! Owen as in Owen Grady? The Raptor tamer?" Dan asked, suddenly excited.

"Yeah... how do you know that?"

"Dude, everyone knows about it because..." he was cut off by Rebecca.

"It was shut down. It was a big thing."

"Not too happy about it. After my girls escaped..." Owen started.

"Now look what you did, Rebi, you made him upset!" Dan smirked.

Rebecca glared at him, "How many time did I say not to call me that? Besides, _you_ were the one to bring it up."

"Seniority," Dan grinned before turning back to Owen, "I heard you were in the Navy! You were hired on the spot, weren't you? I bet you're going to get the commander position."

"Shh, he's announcing the commander now," Rebecca shushed them and pointed towards the stage. Masrani had stepped down and Claire had taken his place.

"Aw, we missed the best part," Dan smirked. He turned to Owen and said, "He says something like, _and remember, only you can protect the park._ Clearly ripping off Smokey the bear." He was shushed again by Rebecca.

Claire cleared her throat, "In light of all of your... experience. It would be unwise to proceed without announcing the new commander. We realize that he's only just been hired, but he has already gone through intensive training. Your new commander is going to be... Owen Grady."

The auditorium was silent for a moment before there was a shuffling sound as all of the soldiers turned to look at Owen. There were a few mumbling, "Dan didn't get the promotion?" and, "What sort of training has he gone through?"

"Mr. Grady, could you please stand up?" Masrani asked, standing next to Claire.

Owen stood up and waved to the crowd. They just gaped at them. "Say something," Claire insisted.

"Uh... hi," Owen said lamely. He resisted the urge to smack his forehead. "Right, sorry. My name is Owen Grady, I was in the Navy for a few years before being hired by Jurassic World to be their Raptor tamer... you must all know how that went."

They continued to gape at him until they suddenly burst into applause and congratulations. Masrani smiled and he, Claire, and Anderson exited stage right. "Do you really think it's wise to have him as the ACU commander?" Anderson asked when they were backstage. He was the only one to oppose Owen's promotion.

"I don't exactly like him, but I have to admit that he has the most experience out of all of them," Claire admitted.

"He'll do fine," Masrani insisted.

"Hey, can I still be your lieutenant?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, sure. You have the most experience here, right? I'll need someone with experience to give me a hand learning the ropes," Owen admitted.

"So what now, commander?" Rebecca asked.

The other soldiers leaned in to hear what Owen had to say. Owen stood straighter as he said, "I think we all deserve some rest. It's too late to do anything tonight, so let's all get some sleep. I expect you all to be present bright and early tomorrow at o eight hundred."

The soldiers smirked as they were reminded of Hamada for a brief moment. "Sir, yes sir!" they chanted.

XXX

Hamada made it into the vet building undetected. The vet building was a small attachment to the innovation center, close to the labs. There were very few animals that they could actually bring into the building, so it was more of a mobile center. Constantly prepared to go out into the field.

There weren't many vets either. Hamada knew that a full staff was only ten vets, not including the chief. They made all of their medicines, tranquilizers, and in the rare case, euthanization serums, at the building. At the moment, it would seem as if most of the vets were here, preparing to make the serum.

Hamada looked at the piece of paper again for his instructions. Hamada ducked into a small closet near the chief's office. He shut the door behind him.

 _I have no doubt that the vet building is going to be crawling with vets. I don't need to tell you to be careful. Now, you need to locate the main chemical storage unit. It should be a small closet located close to the chief's office._

Hamada took a look around. Sure enough, he was in the chemical storage unit. The walls were lines with dozens of different chemicals. Each one was in a jar or a bag and labeled carefully so no one made a mistake.

 _It's not hard to find. Now, the first two chemicals are etorphine and diprenorphine. They are both liquids. They are the primary chemicals in the tranquilizers ACU uses. We need to keep them from making more. They are also key ingredients to the euthanization serum. I would suggest dumping them on the ground... quietly._

Hamada searched through the racks of chemicals before finding the two that he needed. They were stored in large glass jars. He picked up the first one and dumped it on the ground. He did the same with the second one, being careful not to make a sound. There was a convenient drain on the floor.

 _There should be a drain on the floor to help in case of spills. The next chemical you need is called barbiturate. It should be a powder. Barbiturates are the main ingredient in the serum, it is mixed in with the other two to make a solution that can be injected. Dump it on the floor._

Hamada found the barbiturates in a large plastic bag. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut into the bag and let it empty out onto the floor. He shook the bag carefully a few times to make sure he got out as much of the chemical as possible.

 _I have provided you with a few vials. Please dump them into the mess you've made on the floor. They are contaminants and will prevent the barbiturates from being used, even if they try and scoop out an amount to use. Don't worry, it's just vanilla flavoring mixed with food coloring. Make sure you don't track any powder when you leave._

Hamada reached into his pocket and pulled out the vials of pink liquid. The note Gordon gave him was wrapped around the vials. There were four of them. He opened each one and poured it over the mess he had made, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

When he was finished, he shoved the vials back into his pocket along with the note. He turned to leave just as the door opened. "What the hell is going on?" the elderly vet chief asked.

Hamada panicked and did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed the aging chief and pulled him into the closet, shutting the door behind him. He blocked the exit and pulled out his knife again.

"Hamada, what's going on?" the vet chief asked. He was shorter than Hamada by several inches but didn't seem concerned that he was being held at knife point. He was balding severely, but there were still a few strands of gray hair left on his head. He wore simple black framed glasses and a lab coat with a name tag on it and he had a gray mustache.

Hamada looked confused for a moment, "I honestly have no idea. It wasn't explained very well to me."

"Don't give me that shit. What the hell are you doing?"

Hamada sighed. He would have to tell the old doctor the truth. The old vet had a habit of being intimidating to people, but Hamada remained mostly unaffected. "I'm saving the Spinosaurus," Hamada said.

"I figured. He has a name, you know. I'm guessing this wasn't your idea."

"Not exactly. This is rather important, I'm not sure why, but trust me, it is."

The old doctor sighed, "The serum was made an hour ago. Its on my desk right now." Hamada's eyes widened. "I always was one to do things early. I have no doubt that this is important, but do you actually have no idea why?"

"To an extent. I'd rather not have to explain exactly what's going on... in a broom closet. People are probably looking for you and I need to make sure that serum is destroyed," Hamada commanded.

The old doctor was quiet for a moment before he finally said, "I don't like having to put animals down. No one knows that I have already made the serum, and I promise that I'll destroy it on one condition."

"Name it," Hamada had a feeling he knew what the doctor was going to ask.

"I want in. I don't know who gave you this idea, but I want in," the vet said. Hamada raised an eyebrow and looked like he was about to say something, but the old vet growled, "I don't care if it's dangerous. I'm getting tired of just sitting here all day. I want to do something exciting for once."

Hamada sighed, "I'm not sure what to say."

"Just tell me where to go." Hamada put his knife back into his pocket. His hand accidentally brushed against the piece of paper, "What's that?" the doctor asked.

"Written instructions so I knew what chemicals to destroy," Hamada removed the piece of paper from his pocket and held it up so the vet could see. Then he saw writing on the back.

 _Tell Dr. Harding that he can come by the Indominus paddock anytime._

XXX

 **We're introduced to a few minor characters in this chapter. Dan and Rebecca are just random names I came up with. I hope you all appreciated the reference I snuck in there (I hope you all have been noticing the references, as I've made multiple). And we're introduced to Dr. Harding, AKA Dr. Gerry. You may recognize him from** _ **It's Not the Raptor DNA**_ **, but he is not Skull's original character. Dr. Gerry is the actual vet from Jurassic Park. He's in the movie if you pay attention (during the trike scene). I hope I didn't confuse you with all of the telepathy jargon, I did try to explain it before hand (and yes it will become extremely important in the future so just tuck the knowledge away). Owen made commander (was anyone able to guess?) and Wu is finally making progress on a cure (I wonder how that'll go over?). Oh, and Dr. Freeman has made contact with Dracul. It may seem insignificant to all of you, but it will become extremely relevant several chapters down the road. By the way, vanilla flavoring is like 35% alcohol, that's why it's a contaminant. Hope you all enjoyed, stay tuned for the next one!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15 - Tacenda:

Author's Note:

 **You all may have noticed that I have put a cover on this story. I would like to thank Black Dragon for her wonderful art. Here is the link: art/Owen-Grady-Wereraptor-625311403. Thank you once again!**

 **Alright, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that my time working at my school's research lab is up. We've run out of grant money so the experiment ended. We found nothing, by the way (a waste of half a million dollars if you asked me. But at least we found a thousand ways that don't work). So that means I have more time to work on my stories! Bad news is that summer is ending and I'll have to go back to school. Which means that posting will pick up only to drop back down. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the increased frequency of my posting and this chapter.**

XXX

Night inevitably passed and dawn soon came. It would be just another normal day at Jurassic World, but there was a problem. And that problem came in the form of a phone call.

Anderson would usually spend most of his day at home. His job was to run the Jurassic World board. He had neither a desk job nor a job with the animals. He was only called in to work for board meetings, and another one wasn't scheduled for a whole week.

So he spent his days relaxing at home. He had never been one for theme parks, thus he refrained from going on the rides or seeing the dinosaurs' shows. He had to stay under the radar.

It was nine AM when his personal phone began to ring. "This is Anderson, what do you need?"

"This is Simon, we have to talk," the person on the other line said.

Anderson narrowed his eyes. He did not often get calls from the park CEO. The two of them reserved their "talks" for board meetings. "Speak," Anderson commanded.

"Someone raided the vet building last night. Took out a bunch of important chemicals. Namely those used in the euthanization serum," Simon explained.

Anderson sat up straighter. Those words shook the sleep from his eyes and woke him up completely. "The Spinosaurus?" he asked.

"The chief vet called me last night and explained that they could not euthanize the Spinosaurus without the serum. The Spinosaurus is still alive."

Anderson ground his teeth in anger, "Then order ACU to kill him inhumanely. The board decided to put him down, so he _will_ be put down!"

"... There's a little problem with ACU at the moment, Anderson. It seems someone has sabotaged all of their weapons. I have no idea why."

"Sabotaged ACU... why indeed?" Anderson mused. _There's no way it was_ _him_ _, could it have been? I'll have to speak to the boss about this one,_ Anderson realized. "Put ACU on high alert, catching this... terrorist is our highest priority."

"What about the Spinosaurus? Is he still going to be euthanized?" Masrani asked.

"I'll make some calls. Concentrate on the terrorist. If he strikes again, we'll need to call an emergency board meeting. For now, let's keep this to ourselves," Anderson ordered.

"Right... I'll go and do that," Masrani said and hung up.

Anderson let out a deep sigh. This was not shaping up to be a good day. He waited a few moments and took a deep breath before opening the drawer on his nightstand. He pulled out a small flip-phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

It rang three times before someone picked up, "This is alpha." The voice was garbled as it was being run through a modifier.

"This is A. We have a problem. The Spinosaurus is still alive," Anderson explained.

The line was quiet for a moment before the boss asked, "How?"

"Someone crippled ACU and destroyed all of the necessary chemicals to make the tranquilizers and the euthanization serum," Anderson explained. He held his breath as he waited for his boss' reaction.

"It was _him_. _He's_ on the move. But so soon? We'll have to move our plans up. Call bluebird, tell her to start tonight."

Anderson let out a shaky breath. His boss wasn't angry, that was good. "Yes sir, consider it done. Would you mind reminding me exactly what the plan is?"

"Don't push your luck. You know that it is still too dangerous to give anyone important information as long as we know _he_ is still on the island. But don't worry, Anderson, we're working on a way to take _him_ out of the game."

"Right... anything else, sir?" Anderson asked. He had always thought it was strange the boss thought of their endeavor as just a game.

"Yes. We have to consider _he_ has taken the opportunity to make contact with the Spinosaurus. It is now imperative that we eliminate it."

"How, sir?"

"I am going to be sending you some of our stand-by mercenaries. A good team, they'll get the job done and be out before anyone knows. All you have to do is get them into the paddock," the garbled voice said.

"Yes sir," Anderson said just as the boss hung up. He sat for a moment, rubbing his eyes. If the boss was moving up his plans, that meant it would not be long until he came to the island. He dialed a different number into his flip-phone.

"Bluebird? This is A. The boss wants you to move up your little project to tonight," he could almost hear her grin through the phone.

XXX

Wu was having a dilemma. Wu had managed to find a DNA sample of Owen before the transformation and craft the cure using that. The cure acted more as a factory reset than actually ridding Owen of the virus.

The virus was still there. But the cure forced the virus to replace all of the wereraptor cells with Owen's normal cells. Wu had no idea what the lasting effects of the virus might be, but there was a good chance any lasting effects were harmless.

Wu's crisis was not related to making the cure, the cure was already in its final stages. Wu just needed to put on the finishing touches. No, Wu was having trouble deciding whether or not to _use_ the cure.

It went against all of his principles as a scientist. It was like if he had ordered all of the dinosaurs on the island euthanized because they were not God's creations. They were his.

And he couldn't help thinking that Owen's _predicament_ was fascinating. Owen was one of the world's few human hybrids, the fact that he couldn't control his abilities meant that Wu should be researching what went wrong... not how to cure him.

But nothing _seemed_ to have gone wrong. Owen's transformation went just as smoothly as Sam's. Which brought Wu to the conclusion that Sam's transformation was the problem. And if that was the case, then he should be studying her, not Owen.

It would mean that the virus itself was imperfect. But there was only one way to test that theory. He would have to give the virus to someone else. But the last thing Wu wanted was to have _another_ wereraptor running around. Especially if that person lacked control over the Raptor form like Owen.

Wu briefly considered giving the virus to himself. But he drew the line at experimenting on himself. He knew that it would be easy to stab himself with the needle and change himself forever.

But it wasn't about how easy it was to do, it was about keeping himself sane. He knew that people who got body modifications often found it difficult to stop. And Wu was practically a God, he could make himself into _anything_.

It was what he feared had happened to Sam. She had let the power of her Raptor form go to her head. It was why she was so adamant about remaining a Raptor and why she wanted to help Owen. She didn't want to be the only one to have this power.

Wu wanted nothing more than to sit back and let Sam do her best to help Owen. It was the easy way out, Wu realized, but he wouldn't have to bother with the cure. Wu wasn't as worried about Owen as he was for Sam.

Wu's internal debate raged on for several more minutes. Both sides of the argument made good points, but there was still no right answer. Wu usually did well in morally ambiguous situations due to his ability to choose the harder option.

But this was something different entirely. Wu continued to ponder, but arrived at no conclusion. Until... a new thought popped into his head. _InGen!_ Wu realized. InGen was the problem.

How did he not see it before? He had inadvertently created the very thing he promised not to give to InGen. Hoskins had begged for a hybrid about the size of a Raptor that could follow commands. Wu had vehemently refused to fulfill his request.

Until now. Sam was the perfect weapon for InGen. As a Raptor, she was dangerous enough to pose a serious threat to any potential enemy, but was intelligent enough to follow the chain of command. And if she could fix Owen... InGen would have two wereraptors to use.

After John Hammond had died, InGen and Jurassic World began to drift further and further apart, but never completely separated. Jurassic World was taken over by Masrani Corp and InGen began to focus more and more on the military application of dinosaurs.

Wu had realized a few years ago that InGen had been planning to use dinosaurs for war since the beginning. Even when John was still alive. It was why he was asked to drop historical accuracy for certain dinosaurs.

When Wu had realized that he was being used, he started to subtly resist. When InGen asked for trainable Raptors, Wu made regular ones instead. He was actually surprised how far Owen had gotten with the Raptors.

When InGen asked for the Indominus, they requested primate DNA be used to stabilize her. Wu used his own DNA because he knew it would make her difficult to control. He had also made her fifty feet long instead of the six they asked for.

Wu's resistance may seem pointless to some, but InGen had never gotten their hands on a dinosaur they could use. Until Wu accidentally made exactly what they had been asking for. _I've messed up,_ Wu admitted to himself. But there was still time to fix all of this.

The office door opened and Sam stuck her head inside, "Hey, do you have a second?"

Wu looked up from the scattered papers on his desk, "Yes, of course. What do you need?"

She stepped inside of the room, but didn't shut the door. "I need some magnesium."

Wu arched an eyebrow, "What are you making?"

"Thermite," Sam replied.

Wu gave her a strange look, "What do you need thermite for?"

"ACU has a little problem with their storage room," Sam began. Wu just stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "Someone broke a key off in the lock and they can't get in. So I suggested using thermite to melt the door handle off."

"Ah. Third cabinet on your left," Wu said, pointing to the cabinet in question. "What are you using for your oxidizing agent?"

Sam kneeled down and began to sift through the contents of the cabinet. "Iron (two, three) Oxide, of course," she said as she lifted one of the little vials of chemicals to her eye to inspect the label. It wasn't the one she was looking for, so she put it back.

"Of course," Wu echoed. He watched her look through the door before throwing out, "Don't you think it's strange that someone broke off a key in the lock? Whoever did that probably did it on purpose."

Sam lifted up another vial, nope. "I had thought something similar. I was planning on telling Owen that after I made the thermite."

"Owen?" Wu asked.

"Yeah. He made commander of ACU last night," Sam said, checking another vial. Success! It was the magnesium she was looking for. She made to leave the room, "Thanks for the magnesium."

She paused when he said, "Owen made ACU commander?"

She turned around, "Yeah. You know that Hamada was dishonorably discharged. Owen took his place."

Wu sighed, "That's just great. Only makes things more complicated." He beckoned her over to him. She took the hint and shut the door behind her after she realized what he had to say.

"Before you say anything, I want just one day with him," she crossed her arms, trying to remain absolute.

"I knew you were going to say that, but our situation has changed."

Sam gave him a confused look, "How so?"

"I've made both of you into weapons," Wu admitted.

"So?" Sam deadpanned. She didn't quite understand what the problem was.

"What if InGen, or anyone who wants dinosaurs for military application for that matter, gets a hold of you or Owen? They'll do everything in their power to force you to fight for them. You'll be put into combat, Sam... war."

"So we don't get caught by InGen," Sam said simply.

"It's more complicated than that..."

"No, it isn't. You and Owen just need to stay calm. Once I manage to fix him, he won't be transforming randomly and it will be easier to fly under the radar! You two just need to keep your _mouths shut_ ," Sam hissed dangerously. She sounded a lot like her Raptor form.

"And what do you think Owen will say, huh? That's why I'm going to cure both of you," Wu declared.

Sam stared at Wu in shock, "No... _I won't let you ruin this!_ " she growled.

"I'm sorry Sam, but it's for your own good. I already have both of the antidotes ready."

Sam ground her teeth together, "Listen to me: Owen is coming tonight and I'm going to do my best to fix him... if I see you anywhere near him, or me, I won't _hesitate_ in killing you." She stormed out of the room, not listening to what Wu had to say in return.

 _She's too far gone,_ Wu sighed. He didn't doubt she would make good on her threat... but he would only give her tonight. After tonight, irrelevant of the progress she's made with Owen, Wu was going to tell him about the cure. _She'll hate me for it... but I don't want to see her put through Hell._

XXX

"You're getting better," Dr. Freeman noted as he checkmated Saber for the twentieth time in a row. Inevitably, dawn turned to dusk and the sun began to set. The two had been playing chess all day, waiting for Hamada to come back.

 _"Still not good enough, though,"_ Saber growled, _"Again."_ she insisted.

"You sure are a glutton for punishment tonight. Are you really just bored? Or are you trying to get lucky?" Gordon asked as he set up the chess board again. Saber snorted.

"Why the hell is there a hole in the glass?" a voice said behind Gordon.

Gordon turned slightly to see Dr. Harding standing by the entrance. "Ah, Dr. Harding. Come in, come in. Fancy a game of chess?" Gordon asked.

Dr. Harding just gave him a dry look, "I didn't know the Indominus played chess."

Gordon stood, after finishing setting up the board, and faced Dr. Harding completely. "It's irrelevant. I'm glad you came, though. And perfect timing too, Hamada should be here soon."

"A dinosaur intelligent enough to play chess and you want me to ignore it? Fine... what do you want?" Dr. Harding asked.

"We'll get to that. Now is the only time I'll allow you to ask questions, so if you have any... you should get them off your chest," Gordon said. He turned back around to face Saber when she tapped him on the back with her deadly claws. She had made her move.

"Is she dangerous?" Dr. Harding pointed towards Saber.

Gordon knelt and made his move, causing Saber to groan in frustration. "She's nearly as human as you or I. She's only as dangerous as she wants to be."

 _And you taught her to play chess..._ Dr. Harding thought. Gordon rolled his eyes. "Alright then, how did you know that I was going to catch Hamada?"

Gordon smirked, "He's good, but not that good. The chemical room is right next to your office, isn't it?" Gordon chuckled slightly when he saw what Saber's move was. She snapped her jaws at him in annoyance.

"If you knew he was going to get caught, why risk sending him?"

"Come now, Dr. Harding, I am fully aware of your... _reluctance_ to euthanize any animal. You are on my side. I also know that you brought the serum with you. A poorly thought out threat at best, but not necessary."

Dr. Harding gave him an odd look and pulled out the euthanization serum. Although he promised to destroy it, he figured that Gordon might be tight-lipped about certain subjects and the serum would make a good bargaining chip. "You can just call me Gerry..."

"And you can just call me Gordon," Dr. Freeman said, taking the serum from the aging doctor. He walked back over to the broken glass and tossed it out of the window. It shattered on impact.

"So Dracul is safe?" Gerry asked.

"Not quite," Gordon admitted. He made another move on the board after receiving a dirty look from Saber. She did not care for him attempting to abandon their game. "But I'll explain in greater detail when Hamada gets here."

As if on cue, Hamada entered the viewing room. Saber did not look pleased from yet another interruption. "Dr. Freeman, Dr. Harding," he greeted respectfully.

"Excellent, you're here. Now the fun can begin," Gordon said, standing up again and walking away from the board. Saber huffed but did little more than tap her black talons on the side of the viewing room.

"What's our next move?" Hamada asked.

"Do you mind explaining exactly what this is all about?" Gerry asked.

"Right, forgot about that, sorry. Hamada's already heard this, but here's the cliff notes," Gordon started. "The park is in danger and I'm trying to minimize the amount of damage that is done before the calamity hits. Saving Dracul is step one."

"Calamity? What's that all about?" Gerry asked.

Gordon sighed, he really hated repeating himself, "I honestly have no idea, but the park _is_ in immense danger. Don't you think it's odd that Hamada was fired?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Exactly. Although I have no idea who is behind all of this, I know that Anderson is a part of it. That's what tonight is all about," Gordon explained.

"Anderson? As in Jason Anderson, the head of the board?" Gerry asked.

"The very same. Now, in just a few moments, control will be shutting down. I've instructed Lowery to stay behind and monitor the east docks, looking for suspicious ships."

"Why?" Hamada asked simply.

"Since you effectively shut down ACU and made it impossible for a euthanization serum to be made, Anderson has to rely on a different method of killing Dracul. One less legal."

"Why do we need to save the Spinosaurus?" Hamada sighed.

"I made contact with him last night. He's willing to help us in our final fight, so it's imparative that we keep our end of the bargain and keep him alive," Gordon said. He walked over to his desk and pulled his phone out. He placed it on his desk and sat down, the other two stood on the opposite side of the desk.

"I have a pretty good idea what Anderson is going to do. InGen is notorious for using mercenaries to do their dirty work, there's a good chance that's what we're dealing with," Gordon finished.

"Alright then, how do we stop these mercenaries?" Gerry asked.

"That will fall to Hamada," Gordon answered. Hamada remained silent.

"What about me?" Gerry asked. He was starting to get excited. Finally, something to do. Not that he didn't enjoy taking care of the animals, it was just that they didn't get sick or injured that often.

"How long can you get everybody out of the veterinary building?" Gordon asked.

"It depends. Are you talking about hours or days?"

"Days," Gordon answered.

Gerry crossed his arms, "I could force everyone to take a week of vacation, but I'd have to have a good reason."

Gordon looked to be in deep thought for a moment. He had put his hand on his chin and stroked an imaginary beard. "A week will have to do. You can tell them the truth. After Hamada sabotaged your chemical supply, you need space to find a safer location for your chemicals."

"You want me to move my chemicals?" Gerry asked.

"Yes. It is important that Jurassic World can do as little harm to itself as possible. This mysterious enemy will use everything at his or her disposal to destroy Jurassic World. If we can limit the number of options, we're more likely to come out on top."

"Where should I put them?" Gerry asked just as Gordon's phone buzzed. It was a text from Lowery.

"There are suspicious people down at the eastern docks... it's time," Gordon read off of his phone. He stood and walked over to his closet. "Go ahead," he motioned for Hamada to enter the large room, "Find something you like."

Hamada stepped into the closet. It was pitch black until Gordon flipped a nearby light switch. As the room lit up, Hamada found that the walls of the closet were lined with weapons. "It's a little cluttered in there. Just be careful not to break anything."

"Why do you have so many guns?" Hamada asked as he delved into the closet. He was like a kid in a candy store.

"One of the first handlers hired after the Indominus Incident had requested a room full of weapons to use incase the Indominus became hostile. I hear that this room is actually only half the size of what was requested. The minigun was added about a year before I got here," Gordon explained.

"Minigun?" Gerry asked, slightly worried about the answer. His question went unheard by Gordon and Hamada.

Gordon turned around to Gerry after making sure Hamada didn't need his help in choosing a gun. "After you finalize everything and all of your employees are out of the vet building, start putting your chemicals into a safe. Once the safe is full, bring it here and bury it in the paddock. Repeat the process until all of the chemicals have been successfully moved."

"In the paddock?" Gerry asked nervously, eyeing the Indominus warily. He had made a point of not going anywhere near the broken glass.

Hamada stepped out of the viewing room toting a large assault rifle. He was stuffing extra clips into his pockets. "Are you sure you know how to use that?" Gordon asked.

"Of course," was Hamada's simple answer.

"Excellent... because I lost the instruction manual," Gordon admitted. He noticed the looks he was getting from the two men, "Hey, I've only ever used a shotgun and a bow and arrow."

"So what's the plan?" Hamada asked.

Gordon took a deep breath, "You're going to intercept them before they get to the Spinosaurus. I'm not sure how many there are, but you need to keep at least one alive."

Hamada raised an eyebrow, but didn't question Gordon. He double checked to make sure his gun was fully loaded and he had plenty of ammo to spare before heading out.

"Oh, wait! Before you go, I think you could use a little help..." Gordon said, causing Hamada to halt. Dr. Freeman walked over to the patiently waiting Indominus. Although she was losing patience rapidly.

He moved their game to the side by a few feet before motioning to Saber. Saber only stared at him blankly before Gordon had to say, "Go on... please." Saber rolled her eyes and lifted her head out of the viewing room.

She reared back and let out a loud call. "What is she doing?" Gerry asked.

"Calling for back-up," Gordon explained. Sure enough, response barks came not a moment later. Saber bent down to form a bridge leading from the ground up to the viewing room.

One by one, the four Raptors ran up the Indominus bridge and skidded to a halt on the tile floor. Blue was first, followed by Charlie, Echo, and lastly, Delta. Gerry froze the moment the Raptors arrived in the room, Hamada looked wary, but he didn't look scared.

Gordon walked up to each Raptor and touched their heads one by one. Their bright eyes clouded over and they stood stock still. They were no longer in control of their bodies. "There. They should listen to you know... just try not to shoot them," Gordon warned.

"What did you do to them?" Hamada asked.

"I distorted their perceptions. They think you are their alpha, so they'll listen to you," Gordon said. He disappeared into the closet once again, but only for a minute. He came back out holding some rope. "Kill all but one of them, then tie him up and leave him there unconscious. I'll take care of him in the morning."

"How long will my control over them last?"

"Until I unshackle them myself, so to speak. When you're finished, order them to come back here and I'll take care of the rest." Hamada nodded and made a hand signal, commanding the Raptors to follow him. He saluted and set out from the viewing room.

Gordon let out a sigh. He sat back down in front of the Indominus and brought the board between them once again. "Sorry for the wait," Gordon apologized.

 _"It's not a problem... you've given me time to think about my strategy. You're going to lose,"_ Saber grinned the best she could.

Gordon chuckled, "Overconfidence will net you nothing."

"I'm sorry, but what the Hell just happened? What are you?" Gerry asked, tired of being ignored.

Saber let out a growl, tired of being interrupted. "I am human, Dr. Harding, there is nothing wrong with me. I was born like this... now, if you will, you can either pull up a seat, or," Gordon motioned to the door. "Check."

XXX

 **This chapter is a little bit shorter when compared to the last two, but it's just a transition chapter. Next chapter is when all of the exciting things happen! Have any of you seen Futurama? Particularly the episode titled Six Million Dollar Mon (Season 7, Episode 7)? Basically, once you start to modify your body, it's difficult to stop. The power can go to your head, per say. If you haven't seen Futurama, I highly recommend it, and if you haven't seen this particular episode, I also highly recommend it. Anyways, that's why Sam is starting to lose it. We didn't get to see much of Owen in this chapter, but he'll play a larger role in the next one. Once again, we learn a little bit more about what the Hell is going on. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, stay tuned for the next one!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16 - Scintilla:

Author's Note:

 **Hello once again everyone! This is the second to last chapter in this arc. Don't worry, there's one more to go. This is where all the action is, we've been building it up all the way until now. There's a lot going on, so sit back and enjoy!**

XXX

"There you are!" Sam said, grabbing a hold of Owen. Owen had been wandering around the labs for several minutes, looking for Sam. He honestly wanted to talk to Wu and ask the progress of the cure, but Wu was refusing to open his office door.

"What is this about?" Owen asked as he was being dragged away from Wu's office. Sam took a sharp turn and passed through the hatchery.

"Training, of course. Remember, you promised to at least give it a shot incase the cure was impossible," Sam said once she was sure no one was nearby. She looked around hastily to double check. There were no prying eyes.

"Oh, right," Owen grumbled. This was the last thing he wanted to do tonight. "How is the cure coming along, by the way?"

Sam paused as they reached a plain, white wall. "I'm not sure, actually. Wu has been holed up in his office for the past few hours. The last time I checked, he had nothing," Sam shrugged. She rubbed the wall down, looking for something. "Ah, here it is," she said. She pulled a panel out and typed a key code into it.

A light flashed green and she flipped the panel back into the wall. The wall shuddered for a moment before pulling to the side, revealing a dull gray door. It was an elevator. Sam hit the down button next to the door and it slid open. "After you," she said, motioning for Owen to enter first.

Owen was cautious, but stepped into the large elevator. "Why is there an elevator here?" he asked.

Sam stepped in after him and hit a button labeled 'basement.' "This takes us to the nursery where we used to keep the animals until they became big enough to put into their paddocks. Now we just put the herbivores in the petting zoo and the carnivores directly into their paddocks. We don't use the nursery or the elevator anymore. We won't be disturbed down here," she explained.

The elevator came to a complete stop not moments later. It opened up into a decent sized locker room. "Because baby dinosaurs are so vulnerable to pathogens, we'd have to handle them in a type of hazmat suit," Sam said when she noticed he questioning look.

"You worked down here?" he asked. The locker room was pure white and had a large shower for disinfecting the animals and humans. There were several benches for the humans to sit on and a large white door that led out into the actual nursery.

"Of course not. I was hired long after the nursery had stopped being used, but Wu gave me a grand tour when I became his assistant. He showed me down here just in case we ever needed to use it again," Sam said wistfully. She was clearly remembering her younger days as Wu's assistant.

"So, everyone knows about this place?" he asked nervously.

"Well, yeah. But like I said, they won't bother us down here. This room hasn't been used in... years," she mumbled. She turned around slightly and stripped off her lab coat. It was at that moment that Owen realized that she had been wearing it buttoned up, unlike most of the geneticists.

She was only wearing her undergarments underneath the lab coat. "You might want to strip down to your boxers," Sam recommended.

"Uh... why?" Owen asked dumbly.

She gave him an exasperated look, "So you don't rip your clothes when you transform."

"Oh," he said and hastily complied. He followed Sam into the main nursery room and marveled at its size.

"Don't shut the door, we won't be able to get back in," Sam said. Owen complied by leaving the door wide open.

"It feels like I've been in this place before," he said, continuing to scour the room with his eyes. It looked completely empty and a dull gray color.

"That's because you have. We took you here after we injected the virus into you," she said.

Owen frowned, "You mean you dragged me here against my will after attacking me."

"To an extent," she admitted. "That center panel can raise and lower water, that area over there is for food, and that wall back there opens up to the outside to transport the dinosaurs to their paddocks," she said, pointing to each item in turn.

"Do you separate carnivores and herbivores?" Owen asked.

"Not really. As long as we fed them enough, they never really attacked each other. We only kept them here for a few days anyways," she said.

They were quiet for a few minutes. "Alright, let's do this," Sam said eventually. She sat down, cross-legged and motioned for Owen to do the same. Once they were both sitting, Sam began to speak, "So the first thing we have to figure out is exactly why you have been transforming randomly and why you can't control yourself. What was the last thing you remember happening just before you last turned?"

"The last time I turned... I was really angry at Wu. And then I saw red and everything went black," he said.

Sam thought hard, "Well... it sounds like your emotions are interfering with your transformations... but it doesn't make any sense."

Owen sighed, "What doesn't make any sense." He really didn't want to do this today.

"We've gone over your blood samples... nothing is wrong, Owen. The virus worked like it was supposed to, everything is where it should be."

"So then what's wrong?" Owen growled.

"I don't know. But I want to try something," she said. Owen raised an eyebrow as she stood up and cracked her neck. "I want you to try and transform willingly."

Owen stood up with her, "Why?"

"We haven't actually determined if you can only transform against your will or if you can still turn anytime you want. So give it a shot, please."

Owen gave her a strange look, "How?"

Sam looked flustered for a moment, "Well... it's kind of hard to explain. It's mostly just instinct, I guess." Owen remained confused. "I guess I'll go first, then."

She took in a deep breath, "I like to start with a deep breath, it keeps the feelings of breathlessness at bay during the transformation. I... kind of... concentrate real hard, _willing_ myself to change. Do you know what you look like? It helps if you have a mental picture of your Raptor self in your head."

Owen tried to remember what he looked like in his Raptor form. He searched long and hard and came up with something, "I'm red with blue eyes..."

"Well at least some things are getting through from your Raptor self to your human self. I'm guessing it works vice-versa too..." she said. She bent over slightly and closed her eyes, Owen watching intently, as she _willed_ her body to change.

Owen watched in fascination as Sam's skin began to be overrun by silvery-blue scales. He could hear the cracks and pops of her skeleton rearranging itself to fit the Raptor form. It was at this point her undergarments tore off of her body.

Owen could see the tail beginning to sprout from the base of her spine. Claws sprouted from her fingers as her opposable thumb disappeared. Her face took on a more Raptor-like form, lengthening and sprouting sharper teeth. Her eyes moved to the proper position.

Lastly, black stripes ran down her spine and the transformation was complete. Her eyes snapped open to reveal the brilliant amber color. Noticing the worried look on his face, Sam said, _"It doesn't hurt. It just feels really weird."_

Owen rolled his eyes, her words doing nothing to comfort him. He closed his eyes in concentration. _"Just don't try and stop in the middle of the transformation, I have no idea what will happen, just that it won't be good!"_ Sam cooned, causing Owen to nod, his eyes still closed.

Owen started with a picture of Blue. Feelings of loss rose up inside of him. He hadn't seen her in such a long time, he missed her. He wondered if she did the same. _Probably not,_ Owen groaned. They did leave off on a bad note.

He concentrated and removed Blue's bluish color and replaced it with a bright red. He darkened the color so it looked like blood and then added bright blue eyes. With the picture of himself in his mind, he began trying to _will_ his skin to turn to scales.

He stood, trembling from sheer concentration, until the red color broke out across his skin like a dark rash. Sam took a step back in surprise when Owen's body began to rearrange itself to fit his Raptor form.

His transformation took significantly longer than Sam's. She managed to do it in less than a minute, he ended up taking three. But when his eyes snapped open to show the brilliant blue color, he knew that he had managed to complete the transformation.

 _"I did it!"_ he cried out. It felt so _exhilarating_ to make the transformation. And he was still in control. All thoughts of the cure were banished from his mind. He could feel the sheer _power_ of this form... he almost didn't want to turn back.

 _"Owen..."_ the silvery-blue Raptor asked slowly.

He took a step back in surprise. _Sam was huge!_ Their Raptor forms must be proportional to their human ones as Sam stood taller than any Raptor Owen had ever seen. She was also significantly bulkier than him.

Owen was lean like Blue, he was built for speed. But Sam was built more like Delta, she was a brawler. And judging by her size, she could take down any other Raptor on the planet on her own. _"Yeah, I'm fine. The transformation went flawlessly!"_

 _"Well that means that the virus actually worked. You are still in control,"_ Sam chittered thoughtfully. _"I wonder if it the reason you turn against your will is due to your emotions..."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"You've only transformed three times, right? The first time was a forced transformation, I went through the same thing. Maybe me attacking you created an emotional link that causes your powers to freak out at times,"_ she explained.

 _"What if the virus is supposed to do that?"_ Owen asked. Sam gave him a confused look so he elaborated, _"I mean, what if it did the same thing to you too? Just your emotions haven't gone haywire yet."_

Sam winced when she remembered her threatening Wu earlier. She did feel the pull of her Raptor side, but she was still in control. _"I'm not sure. This requires more research, I guess. But we can say, at least for now, that if you remain calm, you should be fine."_

Owen was immensely pleased by that statement. Now he wanted to go and hunt down Dr. Freeman so he could see his pack. _"How do I transform back?"_ he asked.

 _"Are you done already?"_ she asked, amused.

 _"No, I've never been more excited... just I'm feeling a little light-headed and I don't want to pass out."_

 _"The principles are the same. Just put a picture of yourself in your head and do the same thing in reverse,"_ Sam shrugged. Owen nodded and closed his eyes and prepared to turn back. Sam managed to stop him before he started, _"Woah! Why don't you go back to the locker room to turn back."_

Owen gave a sheepish chuckle when he realized what he had forgotten. He would be completely naked. He turned to head into the locker room.

 **BOOM!** The ground began to shake hard. Hard enough to throw both Owen and Sam to the ground. The rumbling continued for several seconds before halting. Screams of panic could be heard upstairs with their enhanced Raptor hearing.

 _"What the hell was that?"_ Sam groaned, standing from the ground. She watched Owen struggle to his feet, chuckling slightly when he had trouble finding his footing. He wasn't quite used to his Raptor form. _"Owen, are you alright?"_

Owen turned towards her and gave a confused look. _"Who is Owen?"_

XXX

Hamada and the Raptors made their way through the dense jungles of Jurassic World. Hamada had grown used to the Raptors by his side, they were actually a welcome presence. Gordon had forgotten to mention exactly how many mercenaries he was dealing with, but with the Raptors, the enemy's numbers were irrelevant.

The Raptors were actually completely silent. The only thing that Hamada could hear was his own breathing. That and the rustling of leaves and the soft sound of his assault rifle bouncing against his back as he moved.

Eventually the team found their way to a clearing where a large wall presented itself. _Shit, I forgot about the door,_ Hamada realized. One of the Raptors must have taken notice of Hamada's mental curse because it let out a small growl.

Hamada walked up to the door, _Dr. Freeman forgot to tell me how to get into the Cruise._ The cruise was surrounded by a large electric fence except where the Spinosaurus and Spino-Rex paddocks were. Instead of a see-through fence, there was an unscalable metal fortress to keep them within the Cruise.

It obviously didn't work, the Spinosaurus made his way out easily enough. Hamada sighed and one of the Raptors echoed it. Hamada walked up to the metal door and tried the handle.

It swung right open. It was unlocked. _That's anti-climatic,_ Hamada thought. Someone must have deactivated the locking mechanism. Perhaps it was Lowery, or maybe... Hamada knew that the mercenaries had to get in somehow.

Either way, Hamada and the Raptors made their way into the Cruise. They made significantly slower progress, trying to be as quiet as possible. Hamada was in man-hunter mode. He mentally prepared himself for taking the mercenaries lives.

Before he was the ACU commander, Hamada had been on the SWAT team. He had dealt with violent people before, though he rarely had to kill anyone. Apprehension set in, but he swiftly beat it back. Now was not the time to question orders.

It wasn't as if Hamada was a pacifist, he just didn't take pleasure in killing people. He knew that some people couldn't be reasoned with, and he drew the line at killing animals. Just like these mercenaries were going to do. Which put them on Hamada's hit list.

With his mental state calmed, the Raptors stopped shifting nervously behind him. He trudged onwards, his "pack" behind him. He halted when he heard harsh whispers.

 _"No you fool! We hit him with the RPGs last,"_ someone hissed loudly. Hamada went down on one knee, the Raptors crouched down with him. They weren't twenty meters away, but the mercenaries didn't notice them.

Hamada counted eighteen men, several carrying shotguns. Four had large guns that Hamada could only assume were anti-tank rifles. And there was a single RPG among them. _"Go,"_ Hamada commanded as loudly as he dared.

The Raptors slunk towards the gathering of oblivious men. Hamada flipped his night-vision scope up and prepared to take the first shot. The sun had gone down as they traveled here, and the crescent moon was currently waning in the sky. There was very little light.

He aimed at the man carrying the RPG. That was the weapon he wanted to take out first. He waited until the Raptors were in position before taking the shot. The Raptors were set up to prevent the men from charging Hamada's location as he sniped them one by one.

Hamada took the shot, and it flew true. It slammed into the head of the man carrying the RPG. His head blew open, causing him to drop to the ground. Dead.

The Raptors charged in as Hamada aimed at the next man. The Raptors were nearly invisible in the darkness, the mercenaries didn't know what hit them. **BANG! BANG!** Two more dropped and another four were taken down by the Raptors before they got their wits about them and ran.

The Raptors were viciously efficient. They barreled into their target, knocking him over, before snapping his neck. They moved on to the next one. The mercenaries fired randomly into the ground, trying to hit one of the Raptors.

There was a screech as one of the Raptors was hit. Hamada retaliated by blowing the man's head off. Noticing that there were only a few men left, Hamada stood and charged into battle. He noticed one of the men fleeing and decided that he was the one to be captured.

Hamada sent a spray of bullets into one of the men that charged at him wielding nothing but a knife. The Raptors downed the other two. Hamada aimed carefully at the fleeing mercenary and with two careful shots, blew his kneecaps out.

The man collapsed to the ground ten meters away from Hamada and the Raptors. Heaving a deep breath, Hamada approached the man, gun trained on him. The man had dropped his shotgun a ways back.

Hamada slung the rifle around his shoulder after confirming that the man was unarmed. Hamada started to drag the man towards on of the many trees in the area. The man struggled, understandably, but Hamada ignored him.

Once the man was propped against a tree, his struggles intensified. He managed to elbow Hamada as he was bringing the man's arms behind the tree. Hamada reeled back and the man tried to crawl to safety, but Hamada recovered too quickly for him to get far.

Hamada stepped lightly on the man's wounds, causing him to cry out in pain. The Raptors showed up next, growling loudly at him. The man stiffened in fear, allowing Hamada to drag him back to the tree.

Now that the man was too scared to struggle, Hamada removed the rope from around his waist. He tied the man up and tested the knot to make sure it was tight. The man was mumbling to himself. Hamada didn't bother to understand.

"Are you just going to leave me here? With them!" the man finally cried out when Hamada tried to leave.

Hamada halted and turned back around to face the panicked man. Sighing softly, Hamada pulled the gun from around his shoulder. The man's struggles grew stronger when it looked like Hamada was going to shoot him.

But Hamada turned the gun around and bashed the man's head as hard as he could. The butt of the gun struck the man's temple, causing his entire head to snap back and slam against the tree, knocking him unconscious.

"I wouldn't want you making a ruckus. Dr. Freeman will find you easily enough," Hamada said quietly. The Raptors chittered in agreement. "That had gone better than expected," Hamada said, starting to walk away from the Spinosaurus paddock. He stopped when he realized that he had been speaking directly to the Raptors.

He shrugged and continued onwards. He made his way out of the Cruise and the Raptors followed behind him. One of the Raptors was limping. Delta had been shot by one of the mercenaries. It didn't look too bad, but she'd be limping for a few days.

"Alright, go back to the Indominus paddock, please," Hamada said, trying not to feel weird saying please to a Raptor.

 **BOOM!** Just as the Raptors began to comply, the ground shook and Hamada heard a loud explosion. The ground continued to rumble as Hamada looked to where the sound of the explosion came from. It was coming from the main park.

He looked to the Raptors to find they had bolted towards the Indominus paddock. Hamada shook his head and headed towards his hiding spot. He decided against investigating. It was no longer his job, no matter how much he wanted it to be.

XXX

Sam reared back when she had heard Owen. _"What do you mean?"_ she asked carefully. She could still hear the screams coming from the labs, and was itching to head back towards the surface.

 _"My name is Alpha,"_ the red Raptor said. He seemed to not remember what had happened to him.

 _Owen just lost control!_ Sam realized. Perhaps now she could figure out why this was happening to him. _"What do you remember?"_ she asked.

 _"I remember this room... I remember you... but I don't know how I got here,"_ he admitted. He started to hop from one foot to the other nervously.

 _"Calm down, you're safe. Just a little confused,"_ Sam said. _I don't understand... what happened?_

Suddenly, Owen lit up, _"I remember! I had been taken hostage. I was to be killed! You saved me along with the man with the violet eyes. I passed out and woke up here."_

Sam hissed involuntarily at the mention of Dr. Freeman's description. _"That's right Ow... Alpha. You owe me a life debt, don't you?"_ she hoped she would be able to convince Owen to follow her orders. Perhaps she could get him to regain control or get the Raptor to turn back.

 _"I owe you a life debt?"_ the red Raptor asked. He noticed the angry look she gave him and said, _"Oh, I remember. I owe you a life debt. What do you need me to do?"_

 _"Good,"_ she said. Another loud scream tore through the room. Sam could put it off no longer, her curiosity was dying to be sated. She needed to know what had happened upstairs. _"We need to get out of here."_

The two proceeded into the locker room. Sam paused at the sight of her lab coat and decided to grab it and put it on the best she could. She had no idea if she would need to turn back, and it would be best to at least have something to cover herself with. And it was probably a bad idea to turn back with a very confused Owen watching.

Sam looked at the pile of Owen's clothes and considered ordering the Raptor to take them. The Raptor in question was giving her a confused look, so she decided against it. She walked up to the elevator and hit the up button.

 _"Come on,"_ Sam managed to coax Owen into the elevator, despite his wariness. The ride up was thankfully short, though not free of awkwardness. Owen couldn't help himself and nipped at the lab coat she had put on, trying to figure out what it was.

Sam managed to force him to back off with a sharp hiss. Once the doors opened, Sam took a confident step out, Owen was slower.

A wave of heat hit them right in their faces as they stepped out of the elevator. The labs were _on fire_. Owen, having never dealt with fire in his Raptor form, only had instinct to rely on. And instinct told him fire was dangerous.

So he did the only logical thing he could think of. He bolted. He had no idea where he was going, though. _"Ow... Alpha, wait!"_ Sam called out, but she was ignored. Owen was dead to the world.

Sam gave chase, hoping to head him off and prevent him from running deeper into the labs. Hopefully most of the geneticists had made their way out, so they had no idea two wereraptors had been set loose in the facility.

Fire licked at her feet as she ran. The temperature of the building was rapidly becoming unbearable. She was loosing oxygen quickly, black spots were beginning to appear in her vision. And she couldn't catch up to Owen, no matter how hard she pushed herself. He was just too fast.

Owen raced through the hatchery, Sam hot on his tail. Literally. As she ran through the hatchery, she noticed one of the hatching machines was missing. In its place was a blackened crater. _That must be what caused the boom... and the fire,_ Sam rationed.

But it didn't make any sense. These machines had never failed, not even once. So how did one just spontaneously combust? She would have to speak to Wu after this mess was over, if he was still alive. So she stored the exploding hatching machine in the back of her mind.

Owen had thankfully not run any closer to the exit than the hatchery, as he took a left turn, circled back, and was heading towards the elevator again. Sam skidded on the hot floor, confused why Owen turned around. That was until she spotted the huge wall of flame preventing anyone from entering or exiting the hatchery.

She was starting to becoming breathless. Neither the fire nor chasing Owen helped. She realized that if she passed out, no one would be able to get to her before she was consumed by the blaze. In her moment of panic, she missed Owen faltering in his running.

He collapsed to the ground and she barreled right into him, sending the two wereraptors tumbling across the scorching floor. Owen leaped to his feet to begin running, but Sam managed to grab a hold of his tail.

Even though she was exhausted, she still had enough strength to pull Owen to the ground. He made a yelping sound as she did so, but she refused to release him from her pin. He struggled hard. _"Stop struggling, you fool! I can get us out of here, you just need to remain calm and follow me,"_ she managed to spout without taking a breath.

Owen snapped out of his hysterics. _"Lead the way,"_ he said. In truth, he was beginning to run out of oxygen as well. He wasn't sure how much more running he could do. Not that his running was getting him anywhere.

Sam stood, Owen behind her, and she began to run back towards the elevator room. Before reaching the room, she hung a right, leading towards the back exit. She slid towards the back door, her claws providing little traction on the tile floor. The fire had only just begun to spread towards the back exit.

She jiggled the door handle, trying to open the door but found that it would not budge. _"Goddamn it! Who keeps locking this door?"_ Sam cursed to no one in particular.

Owen saw Sam struggling with the door and managed to come up with an idea. He took several steps back, so far back that his tail was nearly touching the burning room next to the exit. And he took off as fast as he could, but he wasn't aiming for the door.

Now that they had a momentary escape from the fire, Owen could breath properly again. With his blood circulating correctly, he could hit his top speed. He was aiming for the window next to the door.

Sam managed to see him out of the corner of her eye and thought that he was aiming for the door. The door was made of solid steel, there was no way he could run through that. But Sam jumped out of the way none-the-less, hoping Owen wouldn't injure himself when he rammed the door.

But when Owen leapt into the air and shattered the window, Sam realized Owen's brilliance. They didn't need the door. She followed his lead and jumped through the broken window. They were free.

They stood, panting for several minutes before Sam realized where they were. They were just outside the labs, _in the park._ _"We have to move!"_ she called to Owen when she regained her breath.

Owen nodded and the two took off again, Owen following Sam. He could have easily outpaced her and ran off on his own, but apparently he owed a life debt to the strange silvery-blue Raptor. And he intended to keep said life debt.

Remarkably, only two people saw the Raptors leaving the labs. One was a very concerned Claire Dearing. She was trying to get the fire under control so it didn't burn down the entire Innovation Center, so she almost didn't see the Raptors. But when she did, she wasn't able to do anything, for fear of the fire breaking out even further. So she stored the knowledge away for later use.

The other person was Mary Giddings. She easily tracked the fast moving Raptors with her violet gaze and gave an amused chuckle, as if she was aware of the entire situation. She turned her back to the blazing lab building and walked back to her hotel room, her task completed.

XXX

Wu was in his office when the explosion rattled the labs. He had holed himself there after Sam had outright threatened to kill him if he dared interfere with Owen's training. So he occupied his time finishing the cure.

He had been pondering the conundrum of how to get Sam to agree to take the cure when he heard the explosion. Extremely confused, he had stood from his seat and finally opened his office door to see what had happened.

To his immense surprise, he saw his employees running for their lives from a wall of fire. The first thing that came to Wu's mind was not running, not survival. It was his work. _I have to save as much as I can!_ Wu mentally yelled.

So he ran back into his office despite the wall of flame creeping ever closer, and the heat wave gaining intensity. In just a few moments it had become unbearable in Wu's office, but he didn't seem to notice the heat or the lack of oxygen. He was too busy trying to preserve as much of his work as possible.

He rifled through his drawers and cabinets, picking out certain rare chemicals and minerals that he wished to preserve. He even managed to grab a hold of the piece of amber John was known for having on a cane that he carried with him.

As the blaze grew more intense, Wu began to sweat. He was currently stuffing his pockets with papers that were still scattered about his office. Some of it ideas that he had written down long ago that he never gotten around to, some of them were his research papers that led to the wereraptor virus.

After collecting as many papers as he could find, he ransacked his desk drawers, now more conscious than ever of the approaching wall of fire. He grabbed thumb drives, disk drives, and even floppy disks that looked like they should belong in a history museum than his desk.

He was about to exit his office when he realized that he had forgotten about the two cures. He had left them on the counter behind his desk. So he ran back into his office, braving the fires that had started to burn through the wall.

When he reached the cures, he noticed that he had left one cabinet untouched. He had forgotten exactly what was in that cabinet. He looked back towards the blaze to see it had just about finished eating through one of the office walls, and the flames were spreading rapidly.

He opened the cabinet to see what was inside. If he had forgotten, it probably wasn't important, but it never hurt to check. Time seemed to slow down when he realized what was inside. He stared at the many neatly stacked vials filled with red liquid that stared back at him.

 _How could I have forgotten this?_ Wu mused, no longer concerned about the fire once again. He stuck his hand into the frigid cabinet to touch the vials, but ended up brushing against a shot. Confused, he pulled the needle from the cabinet and looked at it.

It was dusty, but he could still clearly see the liquid inside. It was a darker red than the rest of the vials. He remembered what this was. It had seemed like an eternity ago when he had made this... back in a time when he was not bored. When there was still hope in this office. The shot still looked viable, despite being in the cabinet for an indeterminate amount of time.

Wu gripped the needle, but not hard enough to shatter it, and held it against his chest as he remembered the past. A sudden determination washed over him as he placed the red liquid next to the purplish-green liquids of the cure.

He began to empty his pockets. He took a crumpled piece of paper from his pocked and read it. _Application of hybridized humans, how worthless,_ Wu thought as he dropped it to the floor to be claimed by the fire.

He scattered the many crumpled pieces of paper across the ground, not bothering to read them. _What use is my work if it is only going to be used to fight war,_ Wu grumbled. He next began to drop the rare chemicals to the ground. Without his lab, they would be useless to him.

The glass vials shattered upon impact to the ground. The fires happily devoured them along with the paper. His lab coat's pockets now empty, he turned to the piece of amber John had carried around with him. _What's the point of remembering the past when you should be focused on the future?_ Wu mused, but couldn't bring himself to remove the amber from his pocket.

He was still sentimental, a weakness that he couldn't overcome. He grabbed a hold of the needle and left his office to burn. The flames happily complied.

After he had made his way out of his lab, he saw the Jurassic World fire department doing their best to contain the flames. Although fires were rare, Jurassic World always had a team of fire fighters on standby because Masrani always said it paid to be prepared.

Wu saw many of his employees in a state of shock that he could only help but replicate. This felt like a terrible dream. A nightmare of a reality. The light from the fire distorted Wu's perception, no one looked real.

With the fires casting dancing shadows across grim faces, and elongating everyone's shadows, the picture seemed out of some strange fantasy book. None of his employees made eye contact with him, they were hypnotized by the great blaze.

And Wu would be too if he didn't have his back to it. Wu checked to make sure all of his employees were present, but to his dismay, several were missing. And Sam was among them.

He panicked and kept running his eyes over the crowd, but never found them. But he did find Claire. "Claire, Claire! Have you seen Sam?" he rasped. The smoke had screwed with his voice.

"Wu! You're on fire!" Claire screamed and hopped back from the man.

Wu gave a dull look at his lab coat and noticed that the fringes were indeed on fire. And it was only gaining strength. Finally, his mind snapped back into place, _he was on fire!_ He tore his lab coat off and threw it to the ground so he could stomp the flames out.

He put the smoking and scorched lab coat back on despite Claire's incredulous gaze. "I have not seen Sam," she answered his original question.

Wu turned back towards the blaze. This couldn't be real. Was it really possible that he had lost Sam forever... and the last thing that had happened between them was their fight. And her threatening to kill him. So he stared at the fire, hoping that she would crawl to freedom. She never did.

XXX

 **Of course, we all know Sam is fine. But Wu doesn't. So... the lab caught on fire and burned down, I wonder what's going to happen to Wu and the other geneticists. Hamada managed to contain the mercenaries and capture one of them. It turns out that Owen can call on his Raptor form at will, but how did he lose control? Was it due to the explosion? Or something else? And what was Mary doing at the scene? All of this and more during the final chapter of this arc. Stay tuned!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17 - Mamihlapinatapai:

Author's Note:

 **And welcome to the last chapter for this arc. As you know, this is going to be a "cool down" chapter with little action but lots of story driving so we can prepare for the final arc in the story. I had decided to rush this chapter (as in I started it immediately after the last chapter was posted) because the details for the next arc are still a little muddled and I need time to move them around. So you may not see another chapter for a week or so (hopefully not that long. That would shatter my dream of finishing this before school starts again). I have also determined that the reason some of your reviews are not coming through is because they are on guest accounts. I have no idea why this is happening, but it takes three to five days before your reviews actually show up, even though I can read them in my email. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

XXX

Owen and Sam ran as fast as they could towards his bungalow. Well, as fast as Sam could. Owen was itching to show her exactly how fast he was by completely leaving her in the dust. But he managed to refrain from doing so.

Sam skidded to a halt once they finally reached Owen's bungalow. She panted heavily, she had never run that far before. Owen, or Alpha as he had taken to calling himself, was not in the least bit phased by the amount of running they had just done.

 _"Why are we here?"_ the red Raptor asked. He took a few steps around, cocking his head when he reached the hammock that he usually slept in. _"Why does it feel like I've been here before?"_

 _That's good, memories are still able to breach the gap between Owen and his Raptor form, I should be able to convince him to turn back,_ Sam reasoned. _"That's because you live here,"_ she said carefully.

One misstep with her words could send the confused Owen into a state of panic. She had no doubt she would be able to restrain him, but she wouldn't be able to catch him if he ran. Even if she did manage to restrain Owen, there was no guarantee that he would turn back any time soon.

 _"What do you mean?"_ Owen asked. In truth, he couldn't remember exactly where he lived. Instinct told him that he lived with his pack. But he wasn't sure where his pack was. And it didn't help that there was a familiar scent hanging in the air.

Sam dug at the dirt with her large talon, _"You would go and visit your pack everyday, and then you would come back here to sleep."_ There had to be some way to force him to remember.

 _"Why wouldn't I sleep with my pack?"_ Owen asked. Nothing made sense.

Sam thought for a moment, _"I don't know."_ It was dangerous to admit that she didn't know, but she didn't have a better answer.

The red Raptor walked up to the bungalow entrance and nudged the door open. Owen had never bother locking his door. In fact, he often forgot to shut the door all the way. It wasn't like a burglar was going to steal anything.

 _"What is this scent that hangs in the air?"_ Owen asked. He took a peek inside of the bungalow and considered venturing inside.

 _"That is you. As I said before, you live here,"_ Sam snapped. She was starting to get impatient. She shook her head quickly, trying to dispel the impatience, being impatient was not going to help.

Owen took a single step into the building, looking around. To his surprise, he recognized the inside of the building, even though he couldn't remember setting foot inside. But there was something wrong.

As he continued into his home, he noted his claws scraping against the wooden floors. But there were no other marks that indicated a Raptor had been here. If he had really lived here, there should be a myriad of claw marks all over the floor and walls.

He curled his lip when he considered that the silvery-blue Raptor lying to him. Something about her just screamed _liar!_ As if she had lied to him in the past. He took a look behind him to see her massive form blocking the exit.

She was staring intently at him, as if waiting for him to make a revelation. But nothing was coming to him. Sure, he remembered this place, but it didn't feel as if he _should_ have ever been here. At least there was no evidence that he had ever been here, despite the scent clinging to everything.

He considered his options. He could just ask her what was going on, maybe that would speed this whole process up. Or he could run. She was blocking the exit, so he couldn't get out that way. But he knew that there were several windows that he could jump through.

He became aware of sharp tapping on the hard wood floors. It was the silvery-blue Raptor tapping her large claw on the floor. She didn't look poised to strike, but he knew looks could be deceiving.

The tapping picked up pace. _She's impatient,_ he realized. She was definitely waiting for something. The red Raptor made up his mind, he was going to ask her what was going on. _"I just realized that I don't know your name,"_ he said.

 _"Sam,"_ she answered. There was no point in coming up with a fake name.

 _"That's strange name for a Raptor..."_

 _"Outright calling yourself Alpha is pretty odd too. Not to mention presumptuous,"_ she countered.

 _"What's going on, Sam?"_ he asked.

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"It looks like you are waiting for something to happen. What's going to happen, Sam?"_

Sam narrowed her eyes. _"Where is Owen?"_ she growled accusingly. She had hoped it wouldn't come to this. She may have to knock him unconscious. That should force him to turn back.

 _"Who?"_ was the red Raptor's response.

Sam growled and approached the other Raptor. He flinched away from her, but she kept backing him into a corner. _I should've just ran,_ he realized when he had nowhere to go.

Sam looked down at Owen, their heads practically touching, and said, _"You. Where is Owen?"_ She knew that this would cause him to panic, but at least he couldn't escape with her right in his face.

 _"Me? Owen? That doesn't make any sense!"_ At least it wasn't as bad as last time... but last time Dr. Freeman was there to put him to sleep.

 _"You are not a real Raptor, you're a hybrid. And your name is Owen,"_ Sam decided against dancing around the subject. There was no point in it. If this didn't jog Owen's memory, she would have to knock him out.

 _"Hy...brid?"_ he wasn't freaking out yet, which was good.

 _"Yes,"_ Sam sighed, _"A combination of two or more animals. In your... our case, human and Raptor."_

 _"You too?"_

Now was the final nail to this coffin. Perhaps if she turned back, she could force Owen to remember. _"Yes. Watch closely, you can do this too. And hopefully you'll remember,"_ Sam explained and took a single step back. Not too far back, that way Owen was still trapped against the wall.

She was painfully aware that her human form would be unable to deal with Owen as a Raptor. But this was her last ditch effort. It wouldn't matter if Owen regained his memory.

She went through the transformation as fast as she could. Owen stood there mesmerized by Sam's Raptor form straightening out and the sound of bones popping back into place. She let out a deep breath when she had finished. It always felt good to be back in her human form, no matter how powerful her Raptor form felt.

She placed both of her hands in the middle of her spine and leaned back, loud popping sounds followed. Owen continued to stare at her, his eyes comically wide. She did a small twirl, before realizing that she had forgotten to shut her lab coat.

With a small _eep,_ she buttoned the coat and thought, _Well, that should jog his memory at least..._ "See, human," she said out loud.

Owen did not respond. He was currently staring into the void, completely unaware of his surroundings. He had just witnessed something his Raptor mind could not comprehend. That's when he heard something from deep within his own mind, _Oh shit, I lost control again._

He both recognized the voice and didn't recognize it, only serving to further confuse Raptor who had called himself Alpha. _Are you Owen?_ Alpha sent the thought reverberating within his own mind.

As odd as it sounded, he got a reply from the strange voice, _Yeah... who are you?_ Though the voice was bleary and cutting in and out, Alpha managed to get a picture into his mind. It was Owen.

 _I am Alpha... you._ It was the only thing he could think of to explain what was going on. He was so caught up in the fact that he was a human-Raptor hybrid, he didn't notice that his legs had given out.

The red Raptor collapsed to the ground. Not a minute later, he fell unconscious. Sam stared at the knocked out Raptor, hoping that when he woke up, he would be Owen.

A crackling sound broke the silence. "Commander Owen? Commander Owen, do you read?" a voice sounded throughout the bungalow. It was Owen's ACU radio.

Sam found it lying on his table. Not that you could tell it was a table by the amount of clutter piled on top of it. Sam grabbed the radio and pondered for a moment why Owen had left it on. She was brought out of her musing when the radio crackled again, "Commander Owen, do you read?" It was a woman's voice.

"Owen is currently indisposed," Sam said into the radio.

"Indisposed? What happened... who are you?" the woman asked. Before Sam could answer, she heard shuffling and a muffled argument before someone else spoke over the radio. This time, a man.

"This is lieutenant Dan, please relay your coordinates so we can get to the commander."

 _Lieutenant Dan?_ Sam raised an eyebrow at his name. "I have no idea what the coordinates of my location are," she managed to say before the voice interrupted her.

"Who are you?"

"Sam Bell," Sam answered. No point in lying. "Owen is fine, just unconscious at the moment."

"This is an emergency, we're at deathcon five!" the voice cried out. Before Sam could get a word in, she heard more muffled yelling. Lieutenant Dan spoke again, "I've been told it's pronounced DEFCON... and we're at DEFCON 1, apparently the _lower_ number is worse. Go figure."

"I can try and wake him, but it might be awhile... and isn't DEFCON for nuclear war?"

"... Don't patronize me," lieutenant Dan said before there was more shuffling and the woman spoke again.

"We are in a serious state of emergency. If you could please attempt to rouse the commander and send him towards the Innovation Center, that would be helpful," and the radio fell silent.

Sam turned slightly to check on Owen. To her surprise, he had made the transformation back. He was human again. Grumbling to herself, she went into his room and dug out some clothes. Deciding against dressing him, she tossed him his clothes and waited for him to wake up.

XXX

Claire had stayed and made absolutely sure the fire did not spread to the Innovation Center. Or, god forbid, to the T-Rex kingdom. The fire burned until the early hours of the next day. It was three AM by the time the labs had been reduced to ash.

There was nothing she could do. No matter how hard the firefighters tried, they couldn't quench the flames. They burned until there was nothing left but a memory of the Jurassic World labs. But the fire did not spread anywhere else.

Had she been a superstitious woman, she might of said that the fire seemed to have a mind of its own. But then again, she worked on an island where dinosaurs had been brought to life. So perhaps maintaining her usual level of skepticism was unnecessary.

Of course she wouldn't tell anyone, she feared they would call her bat shit insane. Perhaps she cared too much for her image. On the other hand, she didn't land this job by allowing herself to be called bat shit insane.

She had a feeling the firefighters agreed with her that there was something off about the fire. Around midnight, they had stopped pumping water onto the flames. They stood back and watched as the fire contained itself and slowly burned out, not leaving a single scorch mark on the Innovation Center.

It was one o'clock when Masrani joined her. The fire had been burning faithfully for nearly four hours. That's when she found out Masrani had called an island evacuation. He assumed that this was the work of a terrorist, the same one who had dismantled ACU and broke into the vet building.

It was safer if all of the park's patrons left the island. Because not a single dinosaur had broken out, there was only a very small chance that they would never open again. The terrorist would be caught and the park would reopen. At least Claire hoped.

The media only cared about Jurassic World's ability to contain their assets. A terrorist attack was beyond Jurassic World's control. It could actually work in their favor, they would garner sympathy from the mainland and would receive funds to rebuild the labs.

The terrorist was likely a part of some animal rights activist group that had a problem with how Jurassic World treated their assets. That would explain why they incapacitated ACU and destroyed those chemicals, they didn't want the Spinosaurus to die.

After the fires had died, Masrani ordered ACU to search the park for suspicious persons. ACU had started to gather around the fire shortly after it had begun and by the time the blaze had burned out, nearly the entirety of ACU had shown up.

But not Owen. One of the soldiers, who had claimed to be Owen's lieutenant, had said that Owen was incapacitated at an unknown location. Claire had half a mind to order that particular soldier to go and find Owen, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. She would yell at Owen later.

She spent the next three hours comforting, the best she could, and getting the geneticists to leave the site of the incident. She was able to convince all of the geneticists to leave except one. Wu would not budge.

He had stood looking at the burning lab building since he had realized Sam hadn't gotten out. He didn't acknowledge her attempts to snap him out of his stupor. He wasn't blinking. Claire sighed, he had lost a dear friend and his life's work. He was probably going to be like this for awhile.

And Claire couldn't blame him. He was effectively ruined. Even if they got the money to replace the labs, he would have to start from scratch. All of his research and achievements were for naught.

Lowery had arrived on the scene at six AM. He managed to sneak up on Claire and poke her, "Hey, Claire." He did not expect her to yelp and whirl around, hand raised, as if ready to smack him. She must be on edge.

She lowered her arm when she saw the cowering Lowery. "What do you want, Lowery?" she sighed. It was rare to see him outside of control, so it must be important.

"I just thought you'd like to know that ACU has apprehended a suspect," he said. In truth, Lowery knew exactly what was going on. He could've pointing ACU in the right direction, but refrained from doing so. Dr. Freeman made it very clear that _he_ was the one to deal with the mercenaries. Lowery was supposed to keep it secret. _I hope he doesn't hurt me for this,_ he thought.

"Really?" Claire said, legitimately surprised. It was true that there weren't many places on the island to hide, but she would've thought that the suspect would've hightailed it off of the island with the chaos caused by the evacuation.

"Yeah, he's in holding cell three. Wait 'till you hear how ACU found him..." Lowery started but was cut off by Claire.

"Not now, Lowery. Why didn't you just call me?"

"I tried, but you never answered."

Claire looked confused for a second. She then rifled through her pockets and sure enough, she didn't have her phone on her. "I must've left it at my office. I dropped everything and came here the moment I heard the explosion," Claire mumbled.

"That'll do it. Masrani is already there, waiting for you," Lowery said.

"Thank you for telling me. Go back to control and wait for further instructions," Claire sighed. Lowery mock saluted and headed back towards control. Claire made her way over to her car and drove to the ACU barracks.

Holding cell three was a large room with a table. On one side sat a man in handcuffs. He was an older man, nearing his late fifties, judging by his graying hair. He had a large scar running down the left side of his face and an eye patch to cover the scarred eye.

Although holding cell three looked like an interrogation room you would find on a cop drama show, it lacked a two way mirror over looking the prisoner. But it was, for all intents and purposes, an interrogation room.

Claire stood next to Masrani behind a solid metal door with a small window just at her eye level. They could see the prisoner, but due to him having his back to them and being chained to the table, the prisoner couldn't look at them.

"So what happened?" Claire asked. Masrani gestured towards one of the two ACU members standing to the side, clearly ready to explain the situation.

"We found him tied up in the Cretaceous Cruise. There were at least seventeen dead men surrounding him," the man said.

"Did he kill them?" Claire asked.

"Unlikely, they were all sporting similar gear. They were likely a group of mercenaries sent to kill something. My guess is the Spino, judging by the weapons we found lying around and their general location," the female ACU member explained.

"That still leaves a lot of questions. Who set the bomb? Was the fire just a distraction? Who hired him? And most importantly, who killed all of his friends and tied him up?" Masrani stated.

The two ACU member looked at each other and the man shrugged his shoulders. "When we found him, he was unconscious. He woke up once we started to move him. He kept mumbling about a Japanese man with a gun and a pack of Raptors," the female said.

Claire and Masrani looked at each other and she mouthed, _Hamada?_ to him. He nodded his head in agreement and addressed all of them out loud, "I have no idea what is going on or why he would mention a pack of Raptors. Dr. Freeman had claimed that they had left the island... but he might have stowed them away somewhere. Either way, this has Dr, Freeman written all over it."

"Could one of you contact control and ask to get in touch with the good doctor?" Claire asked the ACU soldiers.

The male lifted his radio from his hip to call control, but the radio crackled and Lowery's voice prevented him from speaking, "I overheard your conversation. I've tried to call Dr. Freeman, but he isn't picking up. He must still be asleep, it _is_ six AM."

Claire snatched the radio from the man and said, "Could you ping his location? I'll go and drag him over here personally... if need be," she added at the end.

It took Lowery no more than a minute to ping Gordon's location, "It says he's at the Indominus paddock. Or at least his phone is. I don't know why he's not answering... unless he sleeps there."

Claire handed the radio back and began to leave. "At the very least I should be able to wrestle an explanation out of him," she said to Masrani. And then she was gone.

XXX

Claire climbed the steps to the Indominus paddock's viewing room as quickly as she could. She was a woman on a mission.

She had no idea what Dr. Freeman's involvement might be in last night's incident. Hamada was the only person that came to Claire's mind that both fit the person the mercenary described and would have the skill to accomplish what had apparently happened. Dr. Freeman had taken Hamada under his wing after he had been fired, Claire hadn't seen Hamada since.

And the Raptors... Claire wasn't so sure what to think about them. To her, the mercenary was just making things up. But then again, she did see two Raptors running from the burning labs. Either way, Dr. Freeman was the one who had said the Raptors had left the island.

He definitely had something to answer for. And it was only more suspicious that he wasn't answering his phone. It would be a tremendous surprise to Claire if Gordon turned out to be a terrorist. He seemed normal enough... but then again, the good doctor had been a hard one to profile.

Masrani had found him in a small town in Germany, doing several odd jobs. Training animals for the circus, taming unruly house pets, and he had apparently ran a small zoo for a time, before abandoning it. Many of the townsfolk had said that Gordon had a way with animals.

Masrani decided to offer the good doctor a job taming the Indominus. Claire had thought Masrani was insane, believing that someone could actually have a connection to animals the way the townsfolk had described. She was always more grounded in reality than the billionaire.

But she was proven wrong when Dr. Freeman showed up. Dr. Freeman had pointed out that he actually possessed several doctorates in the field of psychology, he was more than equipped to handle the Indominus. He never explained what he was doing in Germany though...

And he connected to the Indominus better than any of the other handlers. He had surprised both Masrani and Claire when he walked into the paddock unarmed to meet the Indominus up close. And he came out alive.

It was that moment that Claire had become fascinated by the mysterious doctor. She was never one to believe in the supernatural, but he _absolutely_ had a connection with all of the animals on the island. And he even seemed to have power over people too.

Claire knew better than to date people because of looks or how interesting they were. She had already made that mistake once, and she did not plan to make it again. After Owen, she had refused to even consider another date on the island.

Claire took a deep breath and pushed the door to the viewing room open, determined to discover exactly who Dr. Freeman actually was. Was he a terrorist? Or perhaps the mercenary was lying and her eyes were just playing tricks on her.

She froze and her mind seemed to shut down when she laid eyes on him. _Why is he shirtless?!_ Claire mentally screamed. Dr. Freeman was in the middle of changing clothes.

Claire watched, shell-shocked and mesmerized, as the good doctor fished a spare white t-shirt out of a desk drawer and put it over his head. He was completely oblivious to her presence.

Claire couldn't help but stare as he pulled the shirt down. He wasn't as muscular as Owen, but he was by no means un-athletic. He was lean and seemed to have a runner's body. But one thing stood out among all others.

There was a large scar running down his left pectoral all the way to the right hip. There was no evidence that the scar was from surgery, it didn't look like it had been sown shut. It was faded, but still a pinkish color, so the scar couldn't be more than five years old. And then, just like that, the shirt covered it and Claire snapped out of her stupor.

She stood stock still as if Rexy was staring her down. _That's never happened to me before,_ she said to herself. Dr. Freeman, as if hearing her thought, froze and rose an eyebrow in confusion. He looked over to where she was standing and squinted, trying to make out Claire.

Claire let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and Gordon's eyes narrowed even further. He kept his violet gaze trained on her location and dug around on his desk, searching for his glasses.

Once found, he flicked the black frame open and placed them on his head. "Did you enjoy the show?" he said casually after he could see once more. It didn't sound as if he was bothered by her intrusion.

"Sorry about-" Claire started.

"Don't bother apologizing. I thought I had heard the door open, but I wasn't sure. I was a bit distracted, as you could tell."

"Do you live here?" Claire made a gesture towards his desk. "I thought we gave you a bungalow of your own."

"You did, I choose to spend my days and nights here," he shrugged, "It's the best way to take care of Saber."

"It must be uncomfortable sleeping on that chair..."

"It would be, I suppose. I only sleep for three hours once every five days... and I have a bedroll," Gordon explained. He peeled his lab coat off of his chair and put it on. Claire noticed how worn the coat seemed to be. It looked as if it had been worn in intense cold and the fringes had been dragged through snow.

It was the simple action of putting on his lab coat that reminded Claire why she was at the Indominus paddock. "We apprehended someone in the Cretaceous Cruise this morning," she said.

"Really," he didn't sound surprised.

"And you wouldn't believe the story he's told," Claire said, "He seems to think that he and his men were attacked by a man fitting Hamada's description and a pack of Raptors. And since we can't find Hamada or any Raptors, we've turned to you."

Gordon smirked ever so slightly, "Well, you've got yourself a problem. I have no idea where Hamada is, and I told you that the Raptors are gone. Did he tell you why he's here? He's a mercenary, right? Did he tell you who hired him?"

"Well no... but we're working on that. Why don't you tell me who stopped him then? Don't tell me there aren't any Raptors on this island, I saw _two_ of them running from the explosion!"

"Explosion?" Gordon asked, actually confused.

"Something detonated in the labs last night, we aren't sure what but it could've been a bomb. The resulting fire burned the labs to the ground. Did you not hear the explosion?"

"I'm quite a ways away from the labs, I must have been too occupied to register the sound..." Gordon grounded out through clenched teeth. _So that's their game. Perhaps Dracul was a distraction the entire time._

Claire sighed, "Masrani wants answers, we all do. What is going on here?"

"In due time. Why don't you show me to this mercenary. I believe that I can get a few answers out of him," Gordon hissed. It sent a shiver down Claire's spine. The intensity of his gaze had doubled.

"In due time? I think we deserve some answers now," Claire argued.

The good doctor stepped around his desk and approached her slowly. He stopped when there was only an inch between the two of them. He easily dwarfed her, despite her three inch heels. "I did not say you would not get your answers. Be patient, and all shall be revealed," he explained.

Claire glared at him, but resigned to his will. "Can I at least ask where you got that scar?"

He seemed taken aback and allowed her to step away from him. "It was an accident, nothing more, nothing less," was his only explanation. He gestured for her to lead the way, obviously still intending to visit their prisoner.

Claire complied only because she knew she would be unable to get any more answers out of him. As much as she wanted to hear the story behind the scar, she knew that there was a more pressing matter to attend to.

XXX

The heavy metal door shut behind him as Dr. Freeman entered the interrogation room alone. Masrani had gone back to his office and Claire agreed to give him ten minutes alone. Gordon took his time walking around the table.

He pulled the metal chair out slowly and let the screeching sound it made on the concrete floor sink in. He folded his hands on the table as he sat and stared at the mercenary. It was silent for several minutes.

The mercenary eventually cracked a smile and said, "So, what's up doc?" Gordon feigned a smile but said nothing. "Why would they send _you_ in to interrogate me? Shouldn't I be seeing one of those soldiers outside? Although they did look a little green, if you ask me."

Gordon smirked, "Indeed. Though I'm having more trouble with wrapping my mind around how a man from Kansas finds his way to Isla Nublar with a contract from an unknown employer to kill a Spinosaurus."

The grin fell from the mercenary's face, "If you know that much why bother interrogating me?"

"Oh, they," Gordon gestured to the door, "Don't know any of that, Mr. Fletcher. Unfortunately, what I say is hearsay. They need to hear it from your mouth, not mine."

"Have fun with that," the grin was back on the scarred man's face. But he was slightly unnerved by the good doctor knowing his name.

"I plan to," Gordon said menacingly. It was silent for another minute, the mercenary was slowly losing confidence. "Have you ever been set on fire, Mr. Fletcher?" Gordon asked.

The mercenary's eyebrows rose, but he didn't respond. "I wouldn't think so," Gordon continued, "But you've set other people on fire, and surly your imagination can fill in the gaps. It's unpleasant, no doubt."

The mercenary snorted and started to sweat, ever so slightly, "What are you going to do? Set me on fire?"

Gordon chuckled, "No, that would kill you." He paused and leaned in closer to the scarred man, "But I'll make you think you're on fire."

The mercenary burst into laughter, his nervousness vanished. Despite Gordon's seriousness, the mercenary couldn't help but laugh, "You're one crazy motherfucker aren't you? Make me think I've been set on fire?"

"Your unknown benefactor didn't mention what you were dealing with, did he? You were only after the Spinosaurus, so it's understandable that _he_ didn't mention _me_. Still, he should know that I'm on the island, at least..."

The mercenary narrowed his eyes, "What are you blabbering on about?" He became aware of a _crawling_ sensation creeping throughout his body. It wasn't painful, but it was extremely uncomfortable.

"I could easily take control of your body and force you to say what I want you to say, but you harmed one of the Raptors my charge has grown fond of. That's unacceptable, so you must suffer," Gordon hissed. Saber had not been happy when Delta had limped back to her paddock.

After Gordon had stopped talking, the mercenary started to feel it. A _burning_ sensation spreading throughout his body. It started as an intense heat wave that quickly became hotter and hotter until the point that he scream out in pain.

Gordon threw his chair back violently as he stood. He leaned over the table and said darkly, "It doesn't matter if I told you it was real or not, your brain thinks it is."

"W-w-what are you d-d-doing to m-me?" the mercenary managed to scream out.

"There's a part of your brain here," Gordon said, poking the area he was talking about, "called the sensory cortex. It processes pain. I've essentially set your neural pathway on fire by tricking the cortex."

The mercenary's screams intensified as he started to thrash around, his handcuffs rattling against the table he was tethered to. They did not budge against his struggles. He continued to cry out as Gordon walked out of the room, "My ten minutes are up." Tears leaked from the mercenary's eyes.

He was being essentially burned alive, except he wasn't dying. Even though the brain could only process so much pain, each time the mercenary attempted to pass out, something stabbed into his thalamus, keeping him awake. It also reset his pain index, forcing him to experience being burned alive again and again. And yet he was unable to die.

"He'll need a few minutes to gather his thoughts," Gordon explained to Claire after shutting the door. He noted that Claire had been attempting to listen through the door, but decided against commenting on it.

Claire was slightly disturbed by the mercenary's screams. She had trouble listening through the door, she didn't manage to catch anything the good doctor had said to the man. But the screams told a different story, and the cries penetrated the door just as much as it did her soul.

XXX

"Anderson?" Masrani asked. After a few minutes of waiting, Claire and Gordon had gone back into the interrogation room to talk to their prisoner again. This time he was very loose lipped. He pointed out that he really did have no idea who had hired him, but Anderson had been the one to let him and his team into the Spino paddock.

This was exactly what Gordon had been hoping for. Anderson held a lot of power in Jurassic World, and the only way to get rid of him was to catch him doing something illegal. And letting a trained mercenary group onto the island to kill an asset was highly illegal.

"I was confused too, but then we confiscated the mercenary's phone and had Lowery run an analysis on it," Claire said, pulling the mercenary's phone from her pocket and placing it on Masrani's desk. "The phone only had two calls on it, one from an unknown number, and one from Anderson's landline."

Anderson had decided against going out and physically meeting the mercenaries, he knew he would've been caught on camera. But the mercenary had made the mistake of calling Anderson directly.

Masrani sighed, "Well that's at least something. There would be a huge court case... unless you think he'll admit to it. I'll call him up here." Masrani picked up his phone and dialed for Anderson.

The wait for Anderson was relatively short. Claire had taken a position behind Masrani's desk next to him. Though she remained seated. Gordon leaned onto the wall next to the doorway.

Anderson walked into the room with a scowl on his face. Gordon smirked when he realized that Anderson knew exactly what was going on. "What's this about, Masrani?" it didn't mean that he wouldn't try and fake innocence.

Gordon watched as Masrani and Anderson talked calmly for several minutes before it escalated into Masrani just yelling at Anderson. Normally, Masrani was a very relaxed, laid-back man, but Anderson had crossed a line.

It didn't help that Anderson had no explanation for why his number was on the mercenary's phone. Finally, Anderson conceded, "You know what, fine. I did let those mercenaries onto the island. And I did it to kill the Spinosaurus."

Masrani leaned back into his chair, "But why? Why risk your career on a Spinosaurus?"

"Because the board had decided that it was to be put down. The Spinosaurus is dangerous and after we lost ACU and the serum, I had to take matters into my own hands."

The room went silent for several minutes until Claire spoke up, "Those mercenaries weren't poachers. How are they qualified to hunt a Spinosaurus?"

Isla Sorna was notorious for poaching. Because most of their dinosaurs ran free, anyone who could get a ride to the island could hunt as much as they wanted. Though it didn't often end well for the hunters... until Dracul was taken from the island.

Anderson remained silent, trying his hardest not to reveal that someone else had sent the mercenaries to him. All he did was let them into the paddock. "Get out," Masrani eventually commanded. He would be hard pressed to find someone as good as Anderson to be the head of the board.

Anderson hung his head in shame as he exited the room. Gordon waited a few seconds before following him out. "What are we going to do now, Claire?" Masrani asked, turning around in his chair to face her.

"We move on, I guess. It's not like Jurassic World will collapse around us without Anderson... we can go a few weeks without having a head of the board," she shrugged.

Gordon caught up to Anderson only a few meters away from Masrani's office. He slapped his hand down on Anderson's shoulder, forcing the bald man to stop and turn to face him. "Tell your boss that I'm _waiting,_ " Gordon hissed.

He walked away from Anderson, heading in a different direction. Anderson gritted his teeth and headed towards his home. Gordon went back to the ACU barracks. He had a loose end to tie up.

Anderson slammed the door behind him once he reached his home. He stood in the entryway and ground his teeth together. He so desperately wanted to punch the damn doctor in his smug face. He clenched his first hard and breathed in and out several times, calming himself. _He'd just laugh and tear my mind apart._

He went to his room and threw open his closet door. He pulled out a large duffle bag and tossed it on his bed. He went around his room, tossing clothes and other items into the bag before heading to his fridge to grab a cooler and food. _I should consider myself lucky he didn't bother killing me._

Once the duffle bag was packed, he went to his bedside table and pulled the drawer open. He grabbed the small flip-phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. It rang three times before someone picked up. "This is A. I was caught and fired. I have to leave the island."

The muffled voice responded with, "No matter, it was time for you to leave anyways. This just makes your disappearance not seem suspicious."

Anderson furrowed his brow, "Did you know I was going to get caught? Or did you plan on it. I thought nothing of it when the mercenary called me last night, did you tell him to do that?"

It was quiet for a few beats before the voice said, "Of course. Like I said, it makes your disappearance make sense. I need you to go into hiding now, up north beyond _his_ sphere of influence."

"Speaking of _him_ , he knows, sir. He's asked me to tell you that he's waiting. And the Spino is still alive."

"I know. The Spinosaurus was just a distraction, bluebird fulfilled her purpose, yes? All is going according to plan," the muffled voice said. He paused before saying, "And do not worry about _him_. You are lucky to be alive... and I plan on... _taking care of him_."

"Sir? You don't mean..." Anderson started.

"Oh I do. The prototype is ready and I will be arriving in just a few hours. The opening is complete, now we move on to the mid-game. Go into hiding and await further instructions, Anderson."

"Yes sir," Anderson said as the line cut off. He snapped the phone shut and placed it in his pocket. He reached back into the drawer he had taken the phone from and pulled out a silver handgun. He loaded it and tossed it into the duffle bag. The mid-game has begun.

XXX

Expensive shoes clicked on the hard tile. A man in his mid thirties walked briskly through the visitor center. His entire ensemble screamed expensive despite how simple it looked. He wore black pants and a black jacket, both of which seemed to have been pressed. His shoes looked comfortable but practical at the same time, and his tie was black with gray stripes running down its length.

His hair was short and brown, slicked back with a heavy amount of gel. He was lean and very pale. Cologne hung around him like a cloud of musk. The few employees he passed on his way to his destination flinched from the scent.

Two people, both men, followed closely behind him. One was a much older man carrying a briefcase. He was shorter than both of his comrades and wore a gray suit. He seemed to have a permanent scowl, unlike the grin presented on the man leading them.

The other man was Native American and much taller than the other two, dwarfing both of them. He easily surpassed seven feet tall. His face was set in a tight line and his fists were clenched as he walked. He looked about ready to start a fight.

The trio made their way through the Innovation Center and headed towards Masrani's office. The older man lagged behind his comrades, but managed to not fall too far behind. Once they reached their destination, they paused before opening the office's white door.

The man leading the trio took a deep breath before opening the door. Masrani looked up in confusion as the trio walked into the office as if they owned the place. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting company," Masrani said, putting aside the pile of papers he was working through.

"No matter. I had forgotten to mention I was coming. I heard what had happened and decided that InGen needed to make an appearance, especially after the evacuation," the lead man said, still grinning.

"InGen? I had not heard from InGen in quite awhile. Who are you?" Masrani asked, standing to walk over to the smaller man.

Masrani snorted slightly when he smelled the man's cologne. The smaller man held out his hand and said, "Right, we've never met. Edward King, but please, just call me King."

XXX

 **Well here you go, the end of the second arc. The next chapter may take some time, but it'll be up eventually. We just keep learning more and more about Gordon, perhaps we'll have a complete picture soon. I just want to prevent confusion so I'll just say this: I know that there was a lot of jumping around in this chapter. We started directly after Sam and Owen escaped and then the next section jumped us forward a day. Time just kept elapsing as Gordon interrogated the prisoner and Anderson was fired, but only about an hour and a half passed. The final section is a teaser for what's to come. It takes place eleven AM, three and a half hours after Anderson went into hiding. We're finally introduced to our main bad guy, Edward King. We'll be seeing more of him later. But who are the guys flanking him? And what of Mary? Where is she? And how will Gordon react to King? All shall be revealed soon, so stay tuned!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18 - Sillage:

Author's Note:

 **And... we're back. Welcome everyone to the final act, arc number three. Everything is ready to go, all the events are in place, they just need to be typed out. I think that I can get most of this arc finished before school starts... hopefully. Last time we had a little teaser about our main villain (yes, Edward King is our main villain). I wonder what his plan is? We know very little about King... And what about Owen? We get a little hint about what is exactly ailing him. Can it be fixed? And, most importantly, does King's plan involve Owen and/or Sam? All these questions and more will be answered soon, so please, enjoy the chapter!**

XXX

"Simon Masrani, you're new, aren't you" Masrani said hesitantly accepting King's handshake. He could tell there was something off about King, but he couldn't place it. "Is there a particular reason you have decided to grace us with your presence?"

"News travels fast between our islands. With the Raptor program disbanded and your labs destroyed... InGen needs something new to invest in," King shrugged.

"And what do you plan on investing in?"

"Jurassic World, of course! I've noticed that all the InGen employees on the island have been slowly replaced over the past three years," King explained, "We want to be involved with Jurassic World, just like Hammond had originally intended. We want rebuild and fully fund your new labs on the condition that it is fully staffed by InGen employees."

Masrani thought for a moment, "What about the surviving geneticists? What will they do? We only lost a quarter of our lab staff, that's over thirty people out of a job."

The grin on King's face faltered but Masrani failed to notice, "Perhaps we can work out a different deal then. We'll still rebuild the labs and top off the staff... how's your Asset Containment Unit doing?"

"Poorly. After our Spinosaurus escaped, we lost over half, all of them elite members," Masrani explained.

King seemed to brighten considerably, "It's settled then! We have soldiers to spare, and you need a new lab building... Mr. Fredrick, if you would?"

The short, elderly man with the briefcase stepped forward and placed the briefcase on Masrani's desk. He popped both of the clasps loudly and opened it. Masrani glanced into the briefcase and saw simple contract printed up. The elderly man took a pen and added a few sentences to the piece of paper and handed the pen to Masrani.

Masrani signed the document followed by King. After both of the men signed the document, the elderly man placed the pen back into the briefcase and snapped it shut. He nodded to both of the men and left the room.

King sighed, "He's a good lawyer, but doesn't like to be far from his home on Isla Sorna. Understandable, I guess."

"Is there any other reason you are here?" Masrani asked.

"I plan on staying on this island for a few days. If the fires have been put out and no animals are loose, you can open the park back up, right? I've never actually been..." King said sheepishly.

"Just a minute," Masrani said. He went back behind his desk and pressed the intercom button. "Claire?"

"Sir?" Claire's voice sounded over the intercom. After the excitement died down, Claire went back to her office to continue doing her job.

"Is the Cruise cleared of dead bodies?" Masrani asked carefully. He looked over at King. King didn't look the least bit concerned about the dead bodies, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, it is. Is something going on, sir?"

"We're opening the park back up. If the fire is gone and so are the bodies, it's perfectly safe to reopen."

"What about the press?" Claire asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about the press. I'll take care of them after I'm done here," King said.

"Who is that?"

"Mr. King, CEO of InGen," Masrani said, looking at King again.

"The CEO of InGen is here? I should probably head up there to meet him in person," Claire said. The intercom cut off as she left her office.

Masrani turned back to King, "With the Cruise cleared out we should be ready to reopen... even though we were only closed for a few hours."

"With the threat contained and no one injured, it is perfectly safe to reopen. Like I said, I'll handle the press," King explained. The two stared at each other in silence as they waited for Claire to arrive.

"I'm Claire Dearing, pleased to meet you," she said once she reached Masrani's office. Her lip curled slightly when she caught a whiff of King's cologne. After a brief handshake, Claire continued, "I'm the Operations Manager of Jurassic World. If there's anything you need, I'll take care of it."

"Well there is something," King said, "Would you mind showing me the mercenary you captured?"

Claire looked at Masrani. He nodded his head in approval and she said, "Sure, right this way, Mr. King." She, King, and the tall Native American man all left Masrani's office. Masrani stayed behind, with the new agreement came new papers to fill out and changes to make to the ones he already completed. Being a CEO was exhausting.

Claire suspected that the tall man was just there to look intimidating, like he was just a body guard. The man had not even looked at her when she entered the office and he remained completely silent on their way down to the Innovation Center entrance.

Dr. Freeman was making his way into the Innovation Center just as the trio was leaving. "Ah, Dr. Freeman. This is Edward King, CEO of InGen," Claire said, stepping aside so King could greet Dr. Freeman properly.

King stepped forward just as Gordon's eyebrow rose in confusion. His eyes widened in realization when his sights focused on King. He stumbled in his step and nearly fell to the ground. He glared at King, his pupils shrunk significantly, and he made an odd mixture of a growl and a hiss before storming away as quickly as he could.

Claire raised an eyebrow before turning to King. He was grinning widely, "I'm sorry about that... he's usually more articulate."

"It's no matter," King chuckled, "We have something more important to attend to. Please, continue." Claire nodded and continued to the ACU barracks.

The Innovation Center was relatively close to the barracks, driving was unnecessary. There were only actually a few ACU members at the barracks, most had gone home to sleep after their long night. Almost all of them had shown up to watch the labs burn.

Claire walked up with King and the tall man in tow to lieutenant Dan. "Where is Owen," she demanded.

Dan shuffled slightly, "He never showed up. We know where he is, but he's currently... unconscious."

"What? How did that happen?" King watched the exchange quietly, only interested in their prisoner.

"We aren't sure. Dr. Bell is currently staying with him and she says he'll be fine in a few hours."

"She's not a doctor," Claire deadpanned.

"What? She just let us call her Dr. Bell for no reason. Damn it..." Dan groaned.

"Can you take us to the mercenary?" Claire said, finally getting to the reason they were there. Dan nodded hesitantly and led the trio deeper into the barracks until they reached holding cell three. "Why haven't you moved him yet?"

Normally, prisoners would be held in the holding cell until they were charged. Then they were put into a more traditional jail cell. Steel bars, a small bed, a sink, and a toilet. But the mercenary hadn't been moved.

Dan grimaced and said, "He's dead."

"What!" Claire asked. She threw the door open and sure enough, the mercenary was dead. He lied face down on the table, not breathing. He was still handcuffed. "How did this happen?" The smile dropped from King's face.

A female ACU member walked up beside Dan and said, "We aren't sure. We were getting ready to transfer him, one second he's fine, the next, dead."

"And you don't remember anything?" King asked through gritted teeth. He had planned on getting the mercenary released, but now...

"Well, no," the woman scratched the back of her neck. "He was absolutely fine, but literally a second later he's on the floor. We were looking at him too. It was as if the lights flashed off and then he was dead."

"Like a horror movie?" Claire asked, unamused. But Dan nodded vigorously, causing her to sigh. They really had no explanation for what happened.

"Do you remember seeing anyone? Does it feel like there's a gap in your memory?" King asked.

"Do you have an idea of who did this?" Claire asked. King held up his hand to silence her as Dan spoke.

"I don't remember seeing anyone, but it does feel like there's a gap in my memory. I can't explain it. It's like I passed out, but I didn't move at all."

King nodded and turned around, "Well I guess I won't get to meet your prisoner," he ground out. He walked away, the tall man following close behind.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked, calling after him. She would stay behind and help look over security tapes.

"I'm just going to have a look around," he explained. And then he was gone. Claire sighed, she had only known him for a few minutes, and he was already infuriating. Just like the previous InGen CEO.

XXX

Saber patrolled her paddock faithfully, her new pack following behind her. Even though the paddock was small, she had learned to patrol to pass the time. It was something to do, and it allowed the Raptors to become better acquainted with their new home.

Even if they weren't going to be staying for long. Gordon had made it very clear that after the threat had been dealt with the Raptors would be moved back into their old paddock with their old alpha. Saber didn't have the heart to tell them that, it sounded as if they didn't really like Owen, not that Saber could blame them.

Owen wasn't exactly the easiest person to connect with. She remembered how opposed to the idea of her getting a name he was. _He deserves to have no control over his transformations_ , she growled to herself. He was rude and deserved a taste of his own medicine.

Blue chirped next to her, sensing her anger. Saber only sighed deeply. The Raptors were great company. Even though the paddock seemed even smaller with more dinosaurs in it, it felt... warmer. And Saber had always felt cold; it was a nice change of pace.

She got along with all of the Raptors wonderfully. Blue was a great companion. She enjoyed jumping up on Saber's shoulders and digging her claws in on the one spot that always itched. Blue was the first to accept her as alpha, reinforcing her orders with a stern bark.

Echo and Charlie were equal when they came to companionship. Saber couldn't help but laugh when they managed to leap from her back into the viewing room and steal Gordon's possessions. Charlie had a serious hording problem and Echo was an instigator.

Delta was a bit more difficult. She had been wary of Saber for longer than any of the other Raptors. But after Saber had killed Hoskins, a man that Delta despised, Delta tossed her suspicions to the wind.

They had become a tight-nit pack in just a few days. She knew that one day Dr. Freeman would walk into the viewing room and take them from her. He would erase their memories of her, but she would refuse to allow the good doctor to do the same to her.

She was always surprised when she was reminded of how much influence she possessed over the man. The man could crush her like an insect with nothing more than his mind, yet he chose to play chess with her instead. She could probably just ask him to lose and he would.

Not that she would actually stoop that low. If she was to win, she wanted to do it by her own skill. Blue gave a stern bark to remind her to keep moving. She snapped back to reality and realized that she had stopped moving.

Shaking her head, she trudged onwards, her pack close behind her, Blue on her shoulders. She passed by the one tree that was as tall as the paddock walls. The Raptors knew that they weren't actually contained within the paddock. They could make it into the viewing room, with Saber's help, and they could climb out whenever they wanted. They chose to stay for Saber's sake. Though she wouldn't count out that they were afraid of Dr. Freeman, she would be too in their position.

The Raptor's paused this time, causing her to stop. They stared in the direction of the viewing room, carefully taking in scents. Blue growled, _"Intruder!"_

Confused, Saber raised her head out of habit. Sure enough, there was an unknown scent in the viewing room. _"Stay here,"_ Saber commanded. The Raptors were usually hidden deep within the paddock whenever there was someone in the viewing room. Just to prevent anyone from finding out that the Raptors were still on the island.

Saber marched in the direction of the viewing room, camouflaging just before she reached the clearing. She carefully poked her head out of the brush to see who was in the viewing room. It was a woman with blonde hair wearing a black trench coat.

Saber stayed hidden in the brush as the woman's eyes scanned the paddock. She could tell there was something familiar about the woman, but she couldn't place what it was. After a few minutes of panning back and forth, the woman settled her eyes directly where Saber was hiding.

"That's some impressive camouflage you have. Don't be shy, come out," the woman said. Saber narrowed her crimson eyes when she saw the woman's violet. They were the same as Gordon's.

With a huff, Saber's camouflage melted off of her as she stepped from the brush. Saber approached the viewing room carefully, her eyes never once leaving the woman's. There was an easy-going smile on the woman's face, but Saber could tell it was strained. The way the edges of her lips twitched showed that she was doing her best to appear friendly.

Gordon had taught her to be wary of those with false smiles. They held ulterior motives. They were schemers, manipulators... and they wanted something from her. It didn't help that the woman's presence was unnerving.

Saber knew what violet eyes meant. People with violet eyes possessed, at least to some extent, psychic powers. That meant that there was a good chance the woman could understand her. _"What do you want?"_ Saber growled.

"You don't have to be like that, I come in peace. _We_ come in peace," the woman said, "My name is Mary Giddings, I'm a friend."

Saber growled lowly, Mary was good. Dr. Freeman usually kept a strong connection between the two of them, allowing Saber into his mind just as much as he was in hers. But Mary wasn't sticking around long enough in her head for the connection to stabilize.

Telepathy was usually a one-way road, but Saber was strong enough to force the connection to go both ways. Unfortunately, that took time and Mary wasn't giving it to her.

 _Curse my lack of telepathy,_ Saber groaned. She could not ascertain what Mary planned to do, or why she was here. Which left Saber open to deception. _"What do you want?"_ Saber repeated.

Mary's smile turned into a smirk, "No need to get upset. I just want to talk." She went around Dr. Freeman's desk and pushed his chair around to the broken window. She took her coat off and placed it around the chair before sitting down and saying, "Besides, I think you'll like what I have to say."

 _"You're with the enemy, aren't you?"_ Saber asked.

"Enemy is a bit harsh, isn't it? I like to think of us as a different option," Mary said, folding her hands in her lap. "Tell me, Saber, are you happy here?"

 _"Very happy,"_ Saber said. She tried to place her head inside of the viewing room, incase she needed to kill the woman. Mary, knowing what she was doing, waved her hand, halting Saber's head. She growled and pushed harder.

Whatever Mary was doing, it was different from what Dr. Freeman did. When Dr. Freeman had control of your body, you couldn't move. Frozen in place, all you could do was shake in agony as you tried to move and figure out what was wrong with you.

But Saber could move just fine. It was as if there was a barrier in place of the window, preventing her head from moving passed that point. Saber gave up and pulled her head back. Mary's smirk widened.

"Why don't you give that answer some more thought. I don't wish to rush you, Dr. Freeman won't be back for quite some time."

Saber snarled but complied. She stood there for several minutes, thinking about her life. True, up until a few months ago, her life was awful. But it was finally starting to turn in her favor, why would she want to give that up now? _"I guess I am satisfied here. My life is improving, bit by bit."_

Mary nodded her head, "Sure, what you have now is a definite improvement on what you had three years ago. _Nothing!_ But... are you sure you're actually happy or are you just approaching happiness?"

Once again, Saber thought hard. "To rephrase, if that helps, what is your ideal life?" Mary said, pulling Saber from her thoughts.

 _"I guess... the one thing that I've wanted more than anything else was freedom,"_ Saber sighed in defeat. She realized what Mary was getting at now.

"And are you free?"

 _"No,"_ there was nowhere to run from her current situation. She was locked in a cage because the people outside were afraid of her. The thought tugged at her rage and bloodlust. It was why she escaped all those years ago.

"No, you aren't. I'm sure you've realized what I'm going to offer. _Freedom._ Not just for you, but for all of the animals of Jurassic World. If you come with us, we can take the Raptors, Dracul, and even Gordon, if he's willing to come."

Saber ground her teeth together. It was a tough choice. She already knew what Dr. Freeman would have to say about it... but they were offering this to her, not him. _"Where?"_

"On Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs roam free! You'd be the queen there, even next to Dracul, you'd be the queen," Mary said, the soft smile back on her face.

 _"Queen..."_ Saber mused. She seemed to space out, her imagination flaring. She could see it in her head, the wide open space, the lack of humans, and the hunting, oh god, the hunting. She longed to hunt, she could feel the desire at all times in the back of her mind. And yet, there was nothing to hunt in this cage.

"Every animal on this island is in a cage, including you. And they're not supposed to be out of their cages, the chance you'll get your freedom here is next to zero. It's what humans do..." Mary said, looking down at her feet.

"Humans... are vile, arrogant, hypocritical, _greedy, blasphemous, scum of the world!_ They're more than willing to sit back and defy God, bleeding the world of its life, and dare to claim they are the pinnacle of evolution! But not on Isla Sorna. There, you will never notice the humans, we'll be beneath your nose and never bother you. What would your master think if you told him what I offered you..." Mary halted in the middle of her speech.

"Now that I'm seeing it for myself, though, it seems more like he is subservient to you, not the other way around. But I digress, _he_ would never even consider the idea of moving you to Isla Sorna! He wouldn't even give you the option. But you are your own master, you can make your own decisions," Mary said.

She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. She looked up at Saber, who was mesmerized by her passionate speech, "I'm late as it is. Consider what we have offered you and your friends. We'll be back later to hear your answer."

Saber watched as she stood from the chair and drew the black trench coat over herself. Why she wore it was beyond Saber's understanding, it was over eighty degrees on the island. She paused before walking away from the window.

"I hate to have to make this into a threat, but if you decide, for whatever reason, to _stay here..._ then you will burn," Mary said nonchalantly, "It's the price Jurassic World has paid, and the _Devil_ always collects his dues. If you stay, you'll die... completely and wholly and alone." Mary seemed to hesitate on the last words.

She walked out of the viewing room slowly, allowing Saber to get a good look at the blue 'V' dyed in her hair. Feeling Saber's questioning glare, she said, "It's _my_ scar." And then she shut the door behind her.

Saber reeled back as the trance was shattered. Mary was gone and Saber was conflicted. She knew that Dr. Freeman wanted her to stay on the island, and she knew that he would never willingly surrender to the enemy.

But were they really the enemy? Dr. Freeman certainly painted them as such, but he had a habit of forcing people to see only one solution. His solution. She growled softly when she realized that he would have never given her another option.

But this was her chance. This could be her only chance for freedom, Mary was right. Animals on this island are supposed to remain in their cages, she would never be free here. But, despite longing for freedom more than anything, was it worth giving up what progress she's made?

Although she did not doubt herself in her ability to leave Dr. Freeman behind, what if she relapsed? Without Freeman there to help her, she could become the frightening Indominus again. A beast that ran on malice and only existed to slaughter. Her rampage would kill every living thing on Isla Sorna... and then she'd be alone again.

And she didn't even want to think about what it would do to Dr. Freeman. It would break him. Between the two of them, she often speculated that he needed her more than she needed him. Dr. Freeman didn't have to use kid gloves when handling her. He could use his most of his strength with her.

And she knew that he liked not having to hold everything back. She remembered a story he had once told about when he was much younger. He had accidentally released a wave of psychic energy that _killed_ every living thing in a kilometer radius. Including humans.

It was nice being near a being that could handle most of that strength. A being that could handle all of it... did not exist. He had eventually learned to control his monstrous abilities, but he could never limit himself enough to communicate with things smaller than a wolf. Except for crows... she never could figure out why.

Perhaps, like Mary had said about Jurassic World, these were the prices she would have to pay for freedom. She wanted to be free more than anything. And she really didn't want to burn with Jurassic World. Something nagged at the back of her mind that said if she left, Jurassic World wouldn't even stand a chance.

She lifted her head and let an anguished roar spill from her jaws. She didn't know if it was worth it. She would usually turn to Dr. Freeman for help, but she doubted he would give the idea a single thought. So she cried out to anyone who would listen, _"Help me!"_

XXX

Owen's eyelids fluttered open as he slowly regained consciousness. _Goddamn it, I lost it again,_ he groaned as he stood up. He rubbed his eyes to help focus his vision. He noted that someone had left clothes for him to change into.

 _Sam,_ he figured as he slipped the fresh clothes onto his body. He stumbled slightly when he tried to move, he had a serious headache. _Why does my head hurt?_ He pondered as he continued forward, slowly regaining his balance.

He knew that he had turned back and forth several times, but he didn't remember his head pounding this much. He made it into his room to see Sam sitting on his bed. She was staring down at her phone with a bored expression on her face.

"What happened?" Owen asked.

Sam looked up from her phone and said nonchalantly, "You lost control." She clicked the off button and slipped the device into her lab coat's pocket.

"I know that. I mean, how did I lose control? I don't think I was in a heightened state of emotion."

Sam put a hand under her chin, "I doubt you were. Which means that I might've been wrong about the emotions thing. Tell me what you do remember, we might be able to piece together how this happened."

"Everything was going great. I felt fine, I had control and then there was a loud boom... did something explode? Everything went black after that, but I remember feeling really, really hot... fire... lots of fire. And then something shattering and then a cool breeze," Owen said, rubbing his temples.

"Something in the labs exploded, it must've triggered whatever caused you to lose control. We went to the main floor and everything was on fire. You broke a window to escape and then we ran all the way here," Sam explained.

"I remember hearing a strange voice, it wasn't my own. After that... nothing. I woke up and came in here," Owen said.

Sam narrowed her eyes. "A strange voice?"

"It was the weirdest thing... I felt as if I've heard it before, but I don't remember where. It actually kind of sounded like Blue..." Owen trailed off.

 _Alpha,_ Sam realized. "There's a possibility the voice you heard was your Raptor form's voice. Maybe... no, it's too early to theorize. We need to speak to Dr. Wu, if he's still alive."

Owen noted the anger in her speech but didn't comment on it. He followed her out of his home and said, "Wait, the ATV that I have is still at the labs."

"Don't you have a motorcycle?" Sam asked.

"I had a motorcycle. I crashed it during one of my involuntary transformations... and I haven't been able to recover it," Owen admitted. His mind was starting to clear up, his headache was gone.

Sam sighed deeply and slapped a hand over her forehead, "I guess we'll have to _walk_ the rest of the way," she grumbled. She turned and began the long march back to the main park. Owen trudged several feet behind her, he didn't want to accidentally incur her wrath.

Sam had briefly toyed with the idea of turning into a Raptor and running there. But she didn't want to risk Owen losing control and she was still exhausted from running all the way to Owen's bungalow.

"How long was I out?" Owen asked when they weren't even ten meters from his house.

"At least ten hours," Sam replied. Owen nodded his head as they kept walking. He decided to remain silent after that. There was no reason for unnecessary chatter, she seemed to be upset for some reason.

XXX

Gordon had retreated down a hallway adjacent to the main room of the Innovation Center. He was still reeling from his meeting with King. He leaned against a wall and took several deep breaths to refocus his mind.

Once he was focused, he straightened his posture. He wiped a finger under his nose and grimaced when he realized that he had a nose bleed. He took off towards the nearest restroom to try and stop the bleeding.

He hadn't expected the enemy to present itself so soon. _I guess I was right about Dracul being a distraction,_ Gordon grumbled as he washed his finger clean of blood. The labs had been King's real target.

It was an ingenious strategy, Dr. Freeman would admit. He had been presented two options, one of which he was sure was a distraction. Against his better judgment, he attempted to save both Dracul and Hamada. But the true attack had been unannounced.

He sniffed, making sure his nose was no longer bleeding. It wasn't. He hadn't expected to lose their first engagement. It was a dirty trick, but he had fell for it none-the-less. But it would only work once. The next time, Dr. Freeman would be prepared.

Gordon straightened his lab coat and continued on his way to his original destination. To Masrani's office. He pondered bringing King into their discussion, perhaps revealing King's intentions.

 _That would be unwise,_ the logical side of Freeman's brain dictated. He had already taken a risk by forcing King to accelerate his plans and appear on the island... forcing him to move even faster might prevent Gordon from actually being able to save the park. He would have to play the game properly to stand a chance.

This was his home just as much as it was all of the animals. There was no way of telling _how_ King planned on destroying Jurassic World or _why_ he was doing it. Gordon made his way towards Masrani's office.

The door was open so he just walked in. Masrani was sitting at his desk, continuing to work on a multitude of papers. "Mr. Masrani," Gordon greeted respectfully.

Masrani looked up from his papers, "Ah, Dr. Freeman. I wasn't expecting you. But then again, today has been full of surprises." Masrani set the papers aside to give the good doctor his full attention.

It was something interesting about Masrani, never once had Gordon detected even the slightest hint of malice emanating from the man. Although he was a good business man, he had never been corrupted like so many other CEO's.

"I had just wanted to put in a request on Saber's behalf," Gordon said, taking a seat in front of Masrani's desk.

"Saber is what you have decided on naming the Indominus, right?" Masrani asked.

"For lack of a better explanation, yes."

"Go ahead then, what does she want?" Masrani had tried to know as much about each of the animals in the park as possible. Although he wasn't as hands-on as Hammond had been, but that was due to how often Masrani was actually on the island. He did his best to accommodate them as best he could.

"As you know, her shows have been shut down due to the glass being broken. Interestingly, she seems to miss the attention the shows have given her, but at the same time, she enjoys being able to put her head in the paddock," Gordon explained.

Gordon had never outright said he could communicate with the animals on the island with telepathy, but he never tried to hide it from Masrani. Masrani was actually aware of Gordon's gifts, but not to their fullest extent. He believed that Gordon's powers only worked on animals.

"I see... what you're saying is that she wants a type of sliding glass door. Something that provides a barrier between the crowd, but can be removed when they're gone," Masrani said. He wasn't at all concerned by the idea of Saber sticking her head into the viewing room with Gordon in it.

"Exactly," Gordon nodded.

"Well... I guess it's alright. It'll make her happier, right?"

"I believe it will. She longs for freedom more than anything else... this might put her mind at ease, at least for the time being," Gordon said. _That went well,_ Gordon thought, but he had expected it to.

"Is there anything else she needs? Or you?" Masrani asked, pulling the forms back in front of him.

"Have you met Mr. King yet?" Gordon asked. Although it was a bad idea to tell Masrani exactly what was going on, it didn't hurt to get an idea of what King was planning.

"I have. He came in here and offered to rebuild the labs and replenish ACU," Masrani said.

Dr. Freeman raised an eyebrow, it didn't make sense. Why would King offer to help Jurassic World instead of leaving it to rot. There must be some ulterior motive, he would have to find out. "Did you get an odd feeling from him... as if something was off about him?"

Masrani was silent for a moment. He sighed and said, "I'll be fair, there is something off about him. I'm not sure what, but if you felt it too that means there is definitely something wrong with him. But then again, InGen always picks the oddest CEO's."

"Are you sure it's wise to let him put his men on Isla Nublar? You remember what they did to Saber and her sister under Hoskins' orders, and he was operating under someone else," Gordon said.

"I understand your concerns, Dr. Freeman. But you must realize that just because a man is suspicious doesn't make him distrustful," Masrani said. He stood and walked around his desk.

Dr. Freeman noticed how tired he seemed. _The explosion, the fire, and the death must be weighing heavily on him,_ Freeman noted. He stood when Masrani started walking towards the door.

"Come, I want to show you something," Masrani said. He and Freeman made their way down the hall and stopped in front of a different door. "I am more than aware of InGen's negligence and... other activities that would get any other company disbanded. However, Hammond always intended for Jurassic World to work with InGen and I am more than willing to give it a shot. Perhaps we could put them into a different state of mind, throw away the idea of weaponized Raptors and replace it with Raptor races... or something."

Masrani opened the door and let Gordon walk in first. "What is this room?" Gordon asked, spinning in a circle, taking in all the sights. The room itself was large, a storage room. There were shelves full of boxes, some marked, some not. In the center of the room was a grand piano.

"This is where I keep all the little things I pick up on my adventures. I put them all here, so I always have a place to come back to," Masrani explained. He watched as Gordon approached the grand piano and wiped a finger over it. It was free from dust. "That piano is over two hundred years old, said to have been played by Beethoven himself."

"Do you play?" Gordon asked, pulling the seat out and sitting down. He removed the fall board to uncover the keys.

"I don't, but Hammond did. We keep it clean and tune it regularly, though it hasn't been played in quite a long time. Just one more thing to dedicate to Hammond's memory," Masrani said. Gordon hit a few keys and noted that the old piano was indeed tuned as best as a piano could be.

"My mother is a piano teacher, so I played a lot when I was younger," Gordon admitted. From the random key hitting, he started to play a melody. One that Masrani happened to recognize.

"Beethoven?" Masrani asked. Fitting that a piano the deceased composer had played be used to play his music once more, two hundred years later.

"His Moonlight Sonata, my personal favorite," Gordon explained. He continued to play until the first part was at an end. Instead of continuing to the second part, he halted, "Why did you bring me here?"

"Like I said, I keep this place to remind me to come back to Jurassic World now and then. It's a place of happiness, a place of remembrance. I see all of the things I have collected over the years and I can't help but remember the good times. Yes, we've lost good people on the way, but loss only stings for so long," Masrani explained. He had been leaning carefully on the old piano, listening to Gordon play.

"To play wrong notes is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable," Gordon said softly before beginning again. But this time with a much lighter tune, another one Masrani recognized.

"Für Elise," Masrani smiled as Gordon continued to play. Not a minute passed before Masrani noticed someone standing at the door. It was the tall Native American man that had followed behind King. "Dr. Freeman," Masrani said, putting a hand on man's shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

Dr. Freeman switched tunes to the ominous _dun dun dun dunnn_ that played in Beethoven's fifth symphony. He stood from the piano and closed the fall board to protect the keys. He turned around and walked towards the imposing man, a whole foot taller than the good doctor himself. "Good day, Mr. Masrani, it would seem that I am being summoned," Gordon said.

The tall man said nothing, but turned around and led Gordon out of the room. Masrani watched the two go, bewildered by Gordon's sudden exit. He shrugged it off and went back to his office, his mood having been improved. Perhaps he would ask Gordon to play again.

XXX

 **I do love me some Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata being my favorite, of course. I couldn't help but put it in here. First chapter of the final arc down. Now that I have everything in order, we can hopefully make it to the end before school starts. We have a little over two weeks, so a chapter every two to three days shouldn't put us too far off track. Unless something unexpected happens... Anyways, I know that Owen and Sam took a back seat to King this chapter, but they'll get a bigger part next one when they meet up with Dr. Wu. And where is the tall man taking Gordon? I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for the next one!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19 - Kairos:

Author's Note:

 **We're approaching 100k words! That's a milestone I haven't expected to reach for a long time, certainly not for a story I started less than three months ago. I'll be honest with you all, this is a chapter I've been excited to write since I decided to make Dr. Freeman a more important character. So... since chapter 7 when Saber got her name, that's how far ahead I had thought. This chapter includes the inevitable collision between Dr. Freeman and King (the first one, last chapter, was more of a near miss than a collision) that'll surely end in a bang! And this chapter answers two very important questions: What the hell is wrong with Owen? And what the hell is King planning? Please, enjoy!**

XXX

Sam was panting by the time the two of them made it back to the main park. The walk had taken nearly an hour, Owen didn't live anywhere near the monorail stops. It would've taken more time to walk to the closest one, but it would've preserved Sam's stamina.

Sam froze when she saw what was left of the labs. She had planned to head straight to whatever remained of the labs, but she didn't expect the entire building to be ashes. Owen gave her a slight nudge, "Sam? Sam, are you alright?"

She shook her head, "It's gone... all gone..." she mumbled. She clenched her jaw and and growled, "Let's find Wu." She didn't want to look at the ruble anymore.

Owen hesitated a second behind her, continuing to look at the remains of the labs. Perhaps this was Wu's punishment. Sam's too, for turning him into a wereraptor. Although he hated the feeling of losing control, the one time that he had turned and had control for those few precious minutes... was the best feeling in the world.

Perhaps it was too harsh to blame the destruction of the labs on Wu's own hubris. The fire was likely an accident. Owen quickened his pace to catch up with Sam. They went into the Innovation Center to begin their search for Wu.

Sam knew that Wu kept a small office near Masrani's before he had gotten his own office within the labs themselves. She had never been, but knew that it was the most likely place Wu was. She kept moving forward, Owen following behind her looking lost.

Although Wu's office door was closed, it looked like there was a light on. A good sign. Sam knocked on the door loudly. Wu was likely reeling from the loss of his labs even more than Sam was. He may be completely dead to the world.

The duo waited several minutes for Wu to come to the door. Sam knocked again, harder this time. The pounded sounded as if she was trying to tear the door down. _Perhaps the wereraptor virus increased her human form's strength without her noticing,_ Owen noted.

Finally, the door was thrown open to reveal a rather angry Wu, "Alright, alright! I heard you the first time, no need to..." he trailed off when he laid eyes on Sam. He stared at her for some time, trying to think of the best way to express his elation that she was alive.

"So you made it," Wu said nonchalantly. It was the best he could do. Seeing her again reminded him of her death threat. Excitement wasn't the best way to react.

 _That's how he puts it?_ Owen kept the thought to himself as he and Sam stepped into Wu's office. This office was much smaller, and also very dusty. Wu hadn't been in the room for several years, he had slowly forgotten about it, preferring his newer office.

His newer office was big, nearly the size of Masrani's office. It was filled with cabinets and drawers that housed secrets that only Wu knew about. It had two sinks and a fridge that housed expensive drinks and foods that Wu liked to eat while working.

His new office was a broom closet in comparison. Although the walls of Wu's new office were not filled with pictures and posters, there were cabinets that occupied the same space. The older office just had blank walls. The one thing the two had in common was the massive desk that took up most of the room. Of course, the newer office had room to spare, the older one did not.

So Sam and Owen stood, for there was only one chair in the office, between the wall and the massive desk and waited for Wu to start talking. He took his time pouring himself a drink, one that he desperately needed.

"So how did it go?" Wu asked.

"Rather well, actually. Owen was able to transform at will and was in complete control. I thought we were in the clear, until the explosion, of course," Sam said. "The boom rocked the building and Owen lost control again. What happened up there?"

"The explosion caused him to lose control..." Wu mused, "That's strange, but we'll get to that. Apparently, Claire had labeled the explosion a terrorist attack. ACU managed to apprehend a suspect and he confessed that Anderson was responsible..." Wu said.

"When we were running through, I saw a blackened crater where hatching machine number three was supposed to be, if it was a bomb, it would've been placed there," Sam said.

Wu sighed, "It doesn't really matter... the labs are gone. Let's move on to something more light hearted. You managed to transform and remain in control for how long?"

"Three or four minutes, it wasn't long before the explosion. Something strange happened before I turned back, I heard a voice in my head that wasn't my own. Sam said that it could've been my Raptor form," Owen said.

"After Owen lost control, he called himself Alpha," Sam said. Owen glared at her for not telling him that important detail.

Wu seemed to brighten, "Interesting, multiple personalities... there is a possibility that you have both a human personality, 'Owen', and a Raptor personality, 'Alpha'."

"How did this happen?" Owen asked. "How do I fix it?"

"I thought it was strange that your DNA was 95% compatible with one of your Raptors... I'm not positive, but when we gave you the virus, the virus might've actually screwed with your brain when replacing all of your cells. I'm no neuroscientist or psychologist, but this is the most likely cause of your random transformations."

Owen ground his teeth together, "How do I fix this?" he repeated.

"We do know a psychologist on the island. If anyone can identify multiple personality disorder and link it to what's wrong with you, it would be Dr. Freeman," Sam growled. She didn't want to admit that Dr. Freeman might actually be able to fix the problem better than either herself or Wu.

"What about the cure?" Owen asked, causing Sam to stiffen. She had nearly forgotten about the cure.

"I'm afraid that I will be unable to continue my research into a cure while the lab is... gone," Wu said.

Owen groaned, "I guess I'm off to find Dr. Freeman, aren't I?" He managed to slip passed Sam and head out of the small office. He was starting to become uncomfortable anyways.

Sam stayed behind. "Why didn't you tell him about the cure? You finished it, didn't you?" she asked, leaning on his desk. It was very cramped in the small office, but there was breathing room without Owen.

"You've managed to uncover what ails him and, knowing what Dr. Freeman can do, there's a good chance that he can be fixed. You were right, as long as we're careful, InGen won't take either of you," Wu admitted. He had done a lot of thinking while staring into the fire, and it took him hours to find a solution.

"Now I'm not so sure... after all of this? If you have the cure, you should give it to Owen. I want to stay like this, but you should at least give him a choice," Sam sighed, admitting defeat.

"The cure is gone. I wasn't lying to Owen, the two cures I had were destroyed by the fire," Wu said. He readjusted his lab coat and subtly patted one of the pockets. The action escaped Sam's detection.

"Oh..." was Sam's only response.

Meanwhile, Owen was making his way out of the Innovation Center. He was a man on a mission and he knew the best place to look for Dr. Freeman. He'd have to go to the Indominus paddock, _again._

At least he could pick up his ATV and drive there, sparing himself from the monorail or walking. It wouldn't make the visit enjoyable, but it was a comfort none-the-less. On his way out, he bumped into someone, knocking the person down onto the ground.

He looked to the ground to see Mary grumbling to herself. She stood and brushed her trench coat off, ignoring Owen's questioning gaze. "We must quit meeting like this," she said, smirking.

"Yeah," Owen replied lamely. No good come back came to mind.

She looked at her wrist, "Well I'm already ten minutes late, what's another few?" she mumbled to herself. "So what's new with you?"

Owen took a deep breath to clear his head, "Oh nothing much. The labs burning down really got to me, I guess." He decided against mentioning that he was actually in the fire.

Mary shrugged, "I guess. It's a shame."

"Hey, wasn't the island evacuated?" Owen asked.

Her left eye twitched slightly, "Really? That would explain why there's no one around. I guess I'm a heavy sleeper." Owen raised an eyebrow and the two stood in silence for a solid minute.

"When were you planning on calling me?" she asked with a soft smirk on her face. "Don't tell me you forgot about little old me," she said with a false frown.

Owen's eyes widened in realization, _Oh shit, I knew I forgot something._ "With all of the excitement..." he didn't have a good excuse.

She burst out laughing, "I was only kidding! We really should organize another date, though. I'm interested in what you managed to pull to stay on the island a little longer."

Owen snorted slightly, "I made ACU commander." A little boasting never hurt anyone.

"Oh wow! That's cool, so you'll be able to stay. Where are you headed?"

"To see a friend," he replied. It probably wasn't a good idea admitting he was going to see a psychologist, she might get the wrong impression. He wasn't sure if he actually thought of the good doctor as a friend, especially not Saber. "What about you?"

"I was going to see my brother," she said, looking at her wrist again. "Oh, God, I really should get going!" She continued on inside of the Innovation Center, but paused and said, "How about tomorrow?"

"Hmm?"

"A lunch date, of course! Does tomorrow work for you?"

XXX

Dr. Freeman was led by the tall Native American man into a storage room. It wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't tiny either. The walls were lined with metal shelves and heavy-looking boxes sat on the shelves. In the center was a table, with King sitting with his back to the door.

Gordon walked around the table and took a stood across from King, behind the chair that was placed there. It was a small square table, barely a foot across. It was made out of steel, but it wasn't bolted to the ground. King must've carried it into the storage room.

The tall man exited the room after Gordon took his position across from King. He shut and locked the door behind him and stood by the door, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. Now that they were alone, King spoke, "Please, take a seat. Do you fancy a game?" he gestured to the chessboard on the table.

Gordon hesitated, but sat down on the foldable chair. "It doesn't seem to be affecting you anymore. That's good, you learn quickly. Oh well, it was a trick that was only supposed to work once," King grinned.

"What was it, by the way?" Gordon asked. He folded his hands on top of the table, waiting for King's reply.

King's cheeky grin only widened, "Sex Panther, made with real bits of panther. 60% of the time, it works every time." Gordon's features darkened considerably.

"I knew that you had augmented your senses, so I figured that something a simple as a pungent cologne would throw you off. And thus my enemy's greatest strength becomes his greatest weakness. Touch, taste, hearing, and smelling, all dozens of times stronger than a normal human, but tell me..." King said, moving a piece on the board, "why didn't you do the same to your eyesight?"

Gordon paused, not expecting the question. "I guess I found it unnecessary," he said eventually. He moved a piece into position.

The grin on King's face dropped, "And that's the problem. I've been searching for a long time, trying to find an opponent that understands the game, and I finally managed to find one. Not only do I find one that understands the game, but he's willing to play too! But then you say shit like that, just... getting on my nerves."

King moved another piece. "You have so much power, but you refuse to use it to its fullest extent. Instead, you waste your time here, with that monster that claims to be a dinosaur! You have the opportunity to become perfect, and yet you shy away from it like a frightened mouse."

"Maybe I don't need to be perfect," Gordon replied quietly, moving yet another piece. It was a simple opening, vastly contrasting the complexity behind King's.

King sighed, "Humanity needs a perfect being. Have you heard of the Übermensch?"

"The Superman spoke of in Nietzsche's _Also Sprach Zarathustra_? Yes, I am aware of the concept," Gordon said.

"Then you know why I speak of it. You are a God-like being, desperately wanting to be a mere mortal, such as myself. The contradiction that results from your... ideology is aggravating. You have become der letzte Mensch, the opposite of the Übermensch," King said. Yet another piece was moved.

"And that's why I hate you," King said, leaning back into his chair. "What do we do with a God when he no longer wishes to be a God? We slay him, of course." He shrugged as if it was the simplest answer in the world.

"So I have wrought this upon myself?" Gordon raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this to turn into a philosophical debate. He moved yet another piece, completing his simple opening. Now it was time to attack.

"Jurassic World has wrought this wrath upon themselves, you being here is just a bonus," King shrugged, moving another piece.

"Jurassic World has done nothing. The way I see it, InGen deserves _my wrath_ for being hungry for conflict. You've been preparing for war... but there is no _war!_ " Dr. Freeman said, taking the first piece of the game.

King stared at him for a brief moment, "I'm so... _disappointed_ in you. You're missing the point. There is a war... right here, right now. Jurassic World is just the first step in a string of conflicts that will propel InGen to the top of the world." He ignored the captured piece and moved yet another into place. He had been prepared for Gordon's aggressive move.

 _World domination?_ Gordon thought, taking another piece from King. "I must admit you are a worthy opponent. You play a risky game, Dr. Freeman, forcing me to accelerate my plans and appear on Isla Nublar sooner than I had prepared for. But... I'm not concerned with that, it doesn't matter how many pieces of mine you take, all that matters is the king," King said, moving his bishop to attack Gordon's king, "Check."

Dr. Freeman was forced to defend his king, giving his opponent the initiative. "Check once again. You're so easily distracted. I can present you with two options and you completely overlook the idea of a third option. Now your king is in danger." After being beaten away from another assault, King walked away with his first captured piece of the game, a knight.

The game continued for some time. King was hyper aggressive after he gained tempo, Gordon did all he could to hold on. "You don't seem very concerned about king safety, check," Gordon said, finally able to force King back. Gordon's queen was finally getting some action.

"My safety is irrelevant. I have an advantage," King gestured at the board. "Although you have immense power, all of my pieces and plans are hidden... unlike yours. I know all about Hamada, Saber, the Raptors. It's hard to defend against the unknown," King explained, blocking the queen with his rook.

"Then why bother playing the game? You could just kill me now and be rid of me," Gordon said, moving a pawn forward.

King sighed, "As I said before, the point is to capture the king. You are not the king, even in this game, you are not the king. You are a sacrificial piece that leads to a trap." He ignored the pawn and moved a different piece forward, Gordon growled angrily.

"Do you know what I find hilarious? In both this game and in the real one, you've killed more people than I have. The mercenaries I gave to Hoskins, Hoskins himself, and you were even indirectly responsible for all of the mercenaries sent to kill the Spinosaurus dying. I've only killed the people who were in the lab when it exploded... and you forced my hand on that one," King said, smirking as Gordon moved a piece. "How does that make you feel?"

"I won't pretend that I care about anyone dying," Gordon said, glaring at King.

"That's right... you only care about one thing on this island. The only reason you're willing to defend Jurassic World against my wrath is because of _her_."

Gordon snarled and moved a piece, adding to his attack. "It just occurred to me that I could easily kill you, then wipe the minds of everyone on this island. No repercussions," Gordon said.

King reached into the inner pocket of his suit and said, "Go ahead, I dare you. You haven't used your powers up until this point, let me see how strong they really are!"

Gordon snapped. He stood quickly, throwing his chair backwards, causing a loud screeching sound. He thrust him mind forward to attack King's. To his surprise, he found a rather sturdy shield surrounding King's mind. _No matter,_ Gordon thought, summoning more of his power.

He reeled back, preparing to smash through King's defenses. King only smirked as Gordon brought down a good chunk of his full power down upon the man. Just as his mind was about to breech the shield, Gordon heard the tiniest of _clicks_.

And with it came an intense amount of _pain_. The little click was accompanied by a loud, alien screech that penetrated Gordon's mind, throwing his concentration off, and destroying his attack on King. Gordon let out a scream from the pain. He withdrew his attack and focused his powers to protecting himself.

He held his head in agony, trying to block out the sound. King just sat there, unaffected, smirking widely. Finally, Gordon's shields were in place, protecting his brain from the screaming. He panted heavily, as he tried to refocus his mind.

"That's why I'm not afraid of you. Though it is impressive that you were able to remain conscious," King said. He pulled out a small, black box from his inner pocket. There were three buttons on the box, the left button was orange, the center button was white, and the right button was red. The red button had been pushed down.

Gordon looked up at King, blood running down his face from his eyes. They had started to bleed not long after the box had been activated. He looked as if he had been weeping.

"Are you aware of the different types of brain waves? Telepathy and most psychic powers come from alpha waves, but this little box is outputting theta waves. Although they possess lower energy than alpha waves, they can cut through alpha waves like butter. They can be deadly to a psychic in large doses, but it seems as if your shields are strong enough to hold back the onslaught the box can output," King explained.

Gordon had never felt vulnerable before. It was a new feeling that he absolutely despised. He watched as King put the box back into his pocket, Dr. Freeman didn't try to see if it was off. It was silent for a moment as King made another move, "Check."

Gordon moved his king. "That doesn't mean you're safe from me. There's more than one way to kill a man," Gordon growled.

King held a hand to his chest, pretending to be scared, "So violent! Well, like I said, you are just a sacrificial piece that's not worth taking. But I need you out of the game, so consider this, I'm going to destroy Jurassic World, but I don't have to kill any of the animals. I am more than capable of saving their lives and letting them roam free..."

King readjusted his tie and said, " _But if you interfere even_ _once_ _! I will not hesitate to burn all of them along with Jurassic World._ Including _her_!" he hissed

Silence again. Gordon just stared at the chessboard. He was too late, he couldn't save his king. When did he make a mistake? Was it in his opening? His development? What went wrong?

"I know you won't like it, but I am offering you a place by my side and _her_... all of the animals on this island a place on Isla Sorna."

Gordon glared at King, "What makes you think I would accept that? Whatever you have in store for Jurassic World, I will destroy it."

"I thought you might say that, so I offered the same thing to _her_. I wonder if she can resist the temptation like you can. I wonder if she's willing to pay any price for freedom..." King said. He moved the final piece, "Checkmate."

Gordon looked at the board in defeat. He had lost. The first lost he had ever suffered in a game of chess. But he surprisingly did not feel angry, or sad, or disappointed. He had manged to learn a lot about King and his strategy from the game, but he didn't feel happy or confident moving forward either.

He felt nothing. It was a strange empty feeling, one that he had felt before. "You were without a doubt, my most difficult challenge to overcome. But I've beaten you," King said. Gordon remained silent for he had no response.

There were two loud knocks at the door. "Come in!" King yelled out. As the door was unlocking, King turned back to Dr. Freeman, "As I said before. Humanity needs an Übermensch, and if you're unwilling to be him... then we turn to someone else. I'm sure you..."

He was cut off as the door swung open and loud footsteps echoed through the room. "Dr. Gordon Freeman," a female's voice sounded.

Gordon looked up from the board and over at the door to see Mary Giddings standing at the entrance. "Marie?" Gordon said, "I thought you were dead..."

Mary growled, "That's not my name anymore. I had it changed. My name is Dr. Mary Giddings now."

"Is it? Do you mind if I just call you Marie? You'll always be my little lab assistant," Gordon smirked, immediately forgetting about his loss to King.

Mary snarled and King chuckled, "Good, you two already know each other. Small world, isn't it?" He stood from his seat and walked towards the door. "This is your replacement as God, Dr. Freeman. Whether you decide to join us or not, I hope you make the right choice and stay out of our way."

And with that, King left the small room. The two psychics stared at each other for several minutes before Gordon said, "How's your sister?"

"Fuck you," Mary replied, frowning.

"Still in that coma I presume. Which would be why you took her name," Gordon said.

"You're the one that put her there, you bastard," Mary said. She approached the table, but didn't take a seat. She raised an eyebrow at the empty chessboard, wondering how the two were playing a game.

"Is that why you're here? Revenge? Hate to break it to you, but no matter how strong you've become, I'll always be stronger." Now that King was gone, Gordon had regained his composure.

"This wasn't about revenge at first, honest," Mary held up her right hand mockingly. "I was hired because of my knowledge of psychokinetic abilities... the ones you gave me. When King asked how to deflect a telepathic attack, I told him," she shrugged. "I had no idea we'd be using it against you. I had honestly thought it wouldn't work."

"So that screaming box-" Gordon started.

"We just call it an Anti ESP device, or AED for short."

"Was invented by you?" he finished.

"Yup," she looked so pleased with herself.

Gordon sighed, and said, "I hate to break it to you, my dear, but that thing you're so proud of-"

"Get out of my head."

"Is nearly completely useless against me. Although it can contain my powers, it has failed to stop me in any other regard. The AED as you call it-"

"Get out of my head!"

"Will only keep me from using telepathic attacks. I can still-"

"Get out!"

"Read facial expressions, detect lies and truths, and I am still completely mobile, unlike what it is intended to do... incapacitate me."

"GET OUT!"

"The only person it incapacitates is you," Gordon finished.

" **GET OUT OF MY HEAD!** " she roared and released a massive wave of psychokinetic energy from her mind. The table began to warp and bend, the chessboard on the table went flying, and everything within a fifteen foot radius of her was blasted away. Except Dr. Freeman, he remain unperturbed, though his chair did scoot backwards several inches.

"Even now you have so little control," Dr. Freeman mumbled.

"You are _nowhere_ near me in terms of strength, Dr. Freeman. I can manipulate the real world as I see fit! Can you do this?" she asked with a smirk, waving her hand at the chessboard. In an instant the board caught fire.

 _Pyrokinesis,_ Gordon realized, _I thought that was just a myth._ He made no motion to put out the fire and it was not long until the board burned to ashes and the fire extinguished itself.

"No, you can't," she said, "all you have is your little mind games..." she suddenly froze as Dr. Freeman took a hold of her mind. She struggled the best she could, putting up barriers and attacking the mind holding her, but Gordon did not budge. Try as she could, Dr. Freeman was already inside of her head.

But she knew, in a tiny corner of her mind that wouldn't dare show itself to the world, that even if she had managed to put up her shields before Dr. Freeman could enter her mind... she would be unable to keep him out. In terms of telepathic strength, she was just a youngling, barely grasping the concept. Telekinesis and pyrokinesis came easy to her, but not telepathy.

"You have only had your powers for five years, you are but a weakling next to me. I have perfected my overwhelming strength over the course of twenty-two years... it is true that I cannot move objects with my mind, or set things ablaze, or manipulate the real world, as you put it... but I don't need to," Gordon claimed.

He glared at her, forcing her body to move against her will. She was thrust into the seat that King once occupied. "I can kill with a passing thought, no mental shield can keep me out. Tell me, can your fire kill a hundred men at once? Or bring the mightiest of beings to their knees?"

She continued to struggle, but she said nothing. "No, you can't. But I can," he leaned in closer to her, "I could even kill you right now... but I won't. Instead, I beseech you, leave his employment and run away."

"He'll catch me... he always does," she whimpered.

"Not if he's distracted with me. My safety was never my own concern. I will play his game until I force him to his knees," Gordon promised.

He stood and began to walk out of the room. But he halted when he heard her speak. It was no longer strong, arrogant, and angry. It was soft and frightened, "Where did you go?" she asked quietly.

"After the accident, I had to get away... so I ran."

She sniffed slightly, but did not cry. "When will you fix my sister?"

"I'm afraid that I will be unable to..." he said softly and exited the room. He was going to tear King to shreds the next time he saw him. He tried to use the only precious thing Gordon had against him. For that, he must die.

Mary sat alone in the room, contemplating Gordon's words. "Damn you Dr. Freeman!" she cried out eventually. Then must softer, "Damn you..."

XXX

 **Whew! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Before we go any further, a few things need to be explained. One: the cologne King is referencing comes from the movie Anchorman. He is joking about wearing it. He is intentionally referencing the movie. Two: no one caught it at the time, but when Mary first appeared, she called herself an architect. That's a reference to Seinfeld where George always lied about his occupation by claiming to be an architect. She's actually a doctor of neurobiology. Good job if you managed to catch those references, if you've never heard of Anchorman or Seinfeld, I highly recommend them both! There are other references, but those are the ones that I felt needed to be explained.**

 **As for Nietzsche, I recommend you do a google search of him and his philosophy. It's extremely interesting. If you have heard the phrase, "God is dead. God will remain dead. And we have killed him..." then that's him.**

 **As for the chapter, we get to see Mary again and King and Freeman have their first real game. Gordon loses! And we learn about the relationship between Mary (real name Marie) and Gordon. She was his lab assistant? And there was an accident that put Mary's sister (whose name is actually Mary) in a coma and awakened psychic powers in Mary (Marie). But is she stronger than Dr. Freeman? Gordon is limited just to telepathy, but she has a wider spectrum of abilities despite her inexperience. And we confirm that Owen has multiple personality disorder, so he is seeking out Gordon. But Gordon isn't at the Indominus paddock, is he? I wonder how that'll turn out. And of course, King is still planning on destroying Jurassic World, but how will that be accomplished? Stay tuned to find out!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20 - Brumous:

Author's Note:

 **Dear Dragon-God: You've noticed the chess motif and have asked a few questions. Because you do not have an account, I will address them here. One: Yes, the games in this story are based on actual games that I have played. The first game in chapter 7 is a game I played in a tournament two years ago and the game last chapter (although you don't get to see the moves, it will become important later) is based on a game I played a week ago against a computer. Two: Though I don't think much of it, my ELO is 1880.**

 **To everyone else: I hope you enjoy the chapter! We get to see more of Owen and Alpha as well as Saber!**

XXX

Owen grumbled to himself as he climbed the stairs to the viewing room of the Indominus paddock. He really hoped that Saber was off doing her own thing. She was the last person... being... that he wanted to see.

But he would suffer through, just to see Dr. Freeman. The psychologist was the only person who could help him. Now that Wu had lost his lab, he could no longer research the cure. And thus, Owen was stuck like this. And he would rather be a wereraptor in control, like Sam, than have to deal with a second personality.

Owen took a deep breath to clear his head before opening the viewing room door and stepping in. "Dr. Freeman I need your help," Owen said. "Uh, hello?"

The good doctor was nowhere in sight. Owen stepped deeper into the room, against his better judgment. Gordon wasn't in the room.

Owen would've thought that the good doctor could be in the paddock, but his mind went blank with fear when he saw the hole in the glass. The past few times he had been in the room, there was a solid barrier between him and the Indominus.

Now that barrier was gone, and he couldn't help but remember the last time there was a lack of a barrier between the two of them. She had chased him from her home and escaped, killing two people in the process. If she could get into the room... he didn't want to think about it.

It didn't help that the white beast was standing right in front of the shattered glass window, seemingly in deep thought. She appeared deaf to the world, lest she would've addressed him. But the thought of retreat never crossed Owen's mind.

He wasn't sure if it was fear or courage that kept him in place. The fear of her wrath or the courage to ask her where Dr. Freeman was. And he didn't intend to wake her from her stupor, she may not take kindly to being brought out of deep thought.

So he stood there, staring at her, hoping she would regain consciousness soon. As he waited, he looked at his options. He was currently half way between the window and the door. Although he was within her reach, he trusted his ability to react quickly to her hostility.

 _Don't panic, I doubt she'll be hostile. You did name her, however reluctantly,_ Owen realized. She had seemed grateful when he named her, perhaps he was just overreacting. But he did not dare move.

Finally, she moved and let out a loud yawn. She had been absolutely still, trying to listen for Dracul. But Dracul never responded. He must not have known the answer to her question. But it was strange he didn't offer help. He must be busy.

So she had sat in deep thought, half waiting for Dracul, half pondering her own predicament. She eventually gave up. There were too many pros and too many cons, neither side outweighed the other.

She flared her nostrils, trying to pick up any scents in the area. To her surprise, there was someone in the viewing room. _Owen,_ she identified before lifting her head slightly to see him standing in the viewing room, not moving.

She did a quick heat scan and found his temperature to be high, his heart was beating rapidly, and he was twitching, every so slightly. _Fear,_ she realized. Although she could practically taste it in the air, she was still confused as to why he was afraid.

 _"_ _What do you want?"_ she asked, shoving her head inside of the viewing room. Owen, clearly taken by surprise, leapt backwards as far as head could. He nearly cleared the distance between him and the exit, falling only a few feet short.

He clutched his chest, "You startled me," he glared at her. "I'm looking for Dr. Freeman."

She snorted, _"_ _He's not here. How long have you been standing there?"_ She returned his glare full force. She had no idea why he thought she was just going to outright attack him, but she had no problems with mutual hatred.

Despite him giving her a name, he did attempt to attack father. Although Dr. Freeman made it clear that Owen was not in control, that didn't mean that she didn't feel animosity towards him. And then there was her new pack.

She couldn't help but feel slightly anxious with him near them. Although she knew that he wouldn't take them from her, only Dr. Freeman could do that, she didn't want her new pack flocking back to him.

"Only a few minutes. Do you know where Dr. Freeman went?" Owen asked, crossing his arms.

 _"_ _Unfortunately he did not say where he was going. Wherever he is, I cannot sense him,"_ Saber admitted. Although their link didn't stretch across the entire island, it didn't feel like he had walked out of range. It felt more like he had blocked their link... or something had severed it.

"Oh," Owen looked downcast. He grimaced and walked a few paces closer to her, but paused and thought better of himself, walking back to his original position close to the door. He was still afraid of her, it didn't help that her head was inside of the viewing room. And her teeth were still as sharp as ever.

Saber sighed, _"_ _Why do you need Dr. Freeman?"_ It didn't look like he would be leaving anytime soon. Perhaps talking to him would help relieve his terror. Although she doubted it would settle the hatred between the two of them, it would definitely rid the air of tension.

"I... have a problem that his particular... expertise should help solve," Owen admitted. It still didn't feel right talking to the giant white Indominus.

 _"_ _So it's about your Raptor form,"_ Saber said. It still felt weird talking to a human that wasn't Dr. Freeman. She could stand talking with father, but to him it just sounded like strange garbles. Unless Dr. Freeman was there to translate.

"You know about that?"

 _"_ _I was there when you first came to talk to Dr. Freeman, remember? What's wrong? Although I doubt I could help you fix it, I'm bored and your plight amuses me,"_ Saber said, refusing to admit that she was just lonely. With the option presented by Mary weighing down on her shoulders and the fact that Dr. Freeman wasn't here, nor would he be of any use, and Dracul doesn't seem to be answering... she didn't have anyone else to turn to. It wasn't like the Raptors would understand.

Owen gulped and decided, against his better judgment, to clue her in. Although she couldn't help him, she could pass on to Dr. Freeman his troubles. Then the good doctor would already know what was going on when Owen finally found him.

"It's just that I found out why I've been losing control. Apparently, there's a good chance that I have Multiple Personality Disorder, which means that there's more than one personality in my head-"

 _"_ _I'm not a fool, I know what Multiple Personality Disorder means,"_ Saber growled.

"Right, sorry," Owen apologized, "It just feels so weird knowing that there's _someone else_ in your head that you can't communicate with. And, to top it off, that personality takes over when you are at your most dangerous! This Alpha, or whatever he's decided to call himself, knows _nothing_ about the world, and he's reacting violently."

 _"_ _Do you know for sure if you cannot communicate with him, or have you just not tried?"_ Saber asked.

"Of course I haven't tried. The only time that he spoke to me was when I we were both unconscious..." Owen paused.

 _"_ _There you have it. You just need to knock yourself unconscious. Perhaps if you two have an actual conversation, you may be able to negotiate with him... or at the very least instill within him certain rules,"_ Saber did her best to shrug.

"I'm not knocking myself unconscious!"

 _"_ _I cannot help you if you do not take my suggestions."_

"I'm _not_ doing it. Dr. Freeman should be able to do... whatever it is that he does... to access this other personality without having to potentially damage my brain," Owen said.

 _"_ _Telepathy,"_ Saber clarified. Owen raised an eyebrow, but did not question her word. _"_ _Perhaps there is another way. What if you tried transforming again? Perhaps you'll have a better connection to him in your Raptor form."_

"I'll just lose control again," Owen sighed.

 _"_ _You'll lose control again anyways if you insist on being so afraid of your Raptor self. Just grow a goddamn pair and show me your Raptor form,"_ Saber scolded. She was getting fed up with Owen just blathering on, ignoring her suggestions out of fear. She hated to think that she was actually trying to help him and he was just spitting on her ideas. She noticed the apprehension on his face, so she threatened, _"_ _I'll just knock you out if you don't."_

"Okay, okay!" he said, shaking his head quickly and waving his hands in the air when she shoved one of her arms into the room. "I'll do it, jeez." He regained composure when she removed her clawed hand from the room.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He prepared himself to make the turn, but suddenly thought better of it. "I just realized that I really don't want to tear these clothes... perhaps I'll come back when I have a spare..." he froze when she growled audibly, "Alright then, I'll do it now."

Owen closed his eyes again and put the picture of his Raptor self in his head. He felt his skin begin to shift to scales. _Stop,_ a weak voice said within Owen's mind.

Extremely confused, Owen lost the picture of his Raptor self and tried to halt the transformation. Big mistake. The scales that had been presenting themselves on Owen's skin vanished. Pain sparked through Owen's mind as the half-way finished transformation tried to reverse itself.

Owen tried to let out a cry for help, but no words came out of his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. His eyes flew open in. He managed to see Saber's startled look before his vision went black, like a TV being unplugged.

 _Am I having a stroke?_ Owen's though to himself. The words seemed to appear over top of the black screen that was once his field of vision. They hung there in the air, mocking him. He shuddered and went still.

Saber stared at Owen's prone form, pondering what to do. She had no idea what had happened. _Perhaps forcing him into his Raptor form was a bad idea,_ she thought. She had no idea what to do. She decided upon waiting for Dr. Freeman to come back, he would be able to wake Owen.

She cocked her head out of habit when she heard the slight clanging of shoes on the metal stairs to the viewing room. Someone was coming. She activated her thermal vision and flared her nostril, trying to determine if it was Gordon coming back.

There were multiple people approaching the room, only one scent registered. _Mary,_ Saber recognized the smell. She was back to hear her answer... even if she didn't have one. Only one other scent out of the six approaching her stood out.

It was disgusting. It smelled like decaying flesh mixed with gasoline. Something that not even scavengers would feast upon. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Owen and pulled him through the shattered barrier and into the paddock itself.

She placed him onto the ground as softly as she could. He was vulnerable in this state, and although she still didn't like him, he didn't deserve this. Even if Dr. Freeman could help him... the viewing room door opened and the six people paraded inside like they owned the place. Saber narrowed her eyes but raised her head to address them.

XXX

Gordon covered his face with his hand once he had made his way out of the Innovation Center. Although he had lost to King, he had scored a point against Marie... or Mary, whatever she wanted to call herself. She was lost, although she had looked as if she was going to agree to his plea and run, he knew what was going on in her head.

She was going back to King. He had paused in the main room of the Innovation Center and noticed that she had left out through the back. He tracked her the best he could and saw that she was heading deeper into the island.

But he turned his mind away from her. He instead focused on what little information King had presented him. He knew one thing, he was safe. King was not going to waste his time taking what he believed to be a sacrificial piece.

King played an interesting game. He only took Gordon's pieces if they were directly threatening his king. Everything else was ignored. All of his pieces moved fluidly and helped in the final assault on Gordon's king.

Perhaps Gordon was being too aggressive. But this was a situation where he could not be passive. _He must have made a mistake! There must be something..._ Gordon thought. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

King did make a mistake. He had revealed his greatest weapon. The AED designed specifically to contain Gordon's powers. Revealing it to Dr. Freeman was a double edged sword, however. On the one hand, if Gordon could not combat the AED he would be forced onto the sidelines. But if he could come up with a way to defeat the AED, then he could take King by surprise.

The second mistake was revealing that all of King's employees possessed the little black boxes. It would be simple to find them now. All Gordon had to do was retrieve one of the AED's and study it.

"Dr. Freeman?" Claire said. She had attempted to sneak up behind Gordon, but he was prepared. He had been listening incase someone attempted to sneak up on him. Just because King wouldn't kill him didn't mean that he wouldn't be taken hostage.

So he stepped up his game. "Claire," Dr. Freeman responded, turning around to face her.

She had a concerned look on her face, "Is everything alright?"

"Peachy," Gordon said sarcastically. He didn't usually resort to sarcasm, but he could think of no better way to describe his current predicament.

Claire raised an eyebrow but didn't ask again. "What are you doing out here?" That's right, he had just been standing in one place for several minutes, enough to look suspicious.

"Thinking," well it wasn't a lie.

Claire rolled her eyes but didn't press. "Have you been to the main park before?" she ended up asking.

Gordon thought for a moment before realizing that he had not been to the main park before. He had passed through a few times on his way to control and Masrani's office, but he had not actually been to any of the attractions. "No, I haven't."

"That means that you haven't been introduced to the big boss yet, Rexy," Claire said. Rexy was the only animal on the island that she actually respected. Although Owen had tried many times to convince her otherwise, Rexy was the only dinosaur worth respecting in Claire's eyes.

Gordon had gotten a passing glimpse of Rexy's mind, but decided against telling Claire that. "I have not," he said. He doubted that Rexy was anywhere near as deadly as Saber.

"Come one then! Despite the lack of shows, Rexy is still being fed at the same time," Claire said excitedly. She grabbed Dr. Freeman's arm and practically dragged him to the T-Rex paddock. She had been neglecting the old Rex for a few weeks, now seemed like a good time to pay her a visit. And she got to bring a friend.

She and Dr. Freeman stared in silence as the majestic Rex devoured her lunch. The Rex's handler had left after releasing a goat into the paddock. He only stuck around during shows to rattle off information about the old Rex.

"So what do you think?" Claire asked, looking away from Rexy and towards Dr. Freeman.

Gordon didn't respond. He was too busy staring into the mind of the elder Rex. She was a fascinating specimen. He dared not make direct contact with her, but he subtly sifted through her memories.

"Gordon?" she said. She rolled her eyes and looked back towards the glass, unconcerned with Dr. Freeman spacing out. Rexy's mere presence tended to do that the first time you laid eyes on her. She sucked in a breath when she saw how close Rexy had gotten to the glass.

The old Rex had silently made her way to the viewing room and pressed her face up against the glass as lightly as she could. Claire was surprised by how quiet the heavy dinosaur could be. But the old Rex wasn't looking at her, she was looking at Dr. Freeman.

 _"_ _What do you want, psychic?"_ she growled at him. Her amber eyes blazed, but not with anger. She was just... annoyed. She saw him as nothing more than a bug. Which he found amusingly ironic.

 _"_ _So you could feel me inside of your head. You've lived quite a life, I must say. I want nothing from you, I just came to observe,"_ Gordon said respectfully. Being in Rexy's presence was certainly humbling the good doctor.

 _"_ _I have felt you before, briefly glancing into my mindscape. This is the first time I have seen you up close. Do I truly fascinate a creature such as yourself?"_ she asked. Although she had nowhere near the amount of alpha waves that radiated off of Saber, the old Rex was still strong.

 _"_ _Indeed. To glimpse into the mind of someone so... finely aged as yourself is truly an honor,"_ Gordon tilted his head every so slightly, managing to escape Claire's observation. Gordon once had the extreme delight in peering into the mind of the oldest human alive.

Born in the late eighteen nineties, she had experienced so much that her mind seemed alien to the younger Dr. Freeman. But Rexy was on a completely different scale. _"_ _But if I may ask you a question..."_ he continued.

 _"_ _Name it,"_ the old Rex growled.

 _"_ _How? How do you know all that you know?"_ Freeman asked. Rexy had a marvelous understanding of the English language, she knew so much that it baffled Dr. Freeman. She noticed his probing before he finished.

 _"_ _You ask the right questions, psychic. Although you could easily take what you want, you chose not to,"_ she said. A flash of pain lit up her features before vanishing. _"_ _I know all I know because I once knew someone like you. He dedicated his life to me, teaching me everything he knew so that one day I could speak to someone like him again."_

Claire panned her gaze back and forth between the Rex and the human who were seemingly locked in a staring contest. Until Dr. Freeman broke away from Rexy, "Let me into the paddock," he commanded.

Claire did a double take, "Say what?"

He turned to her fully and said with a ferocious fire in his violet eyes that matched Rexy's, "Let. Me. Into. The. Paddock." He halted after each word so their impact could be heard. He didn't dare try and force Claire to do anything with his powers while Rexy was watching.

Claire looked at him like he had grown a second head. But, against her better judgment, she opened the paddock door and allowed him into the cage with Rexy. She was unsure what he was going to do, but she did not have the same confidence he had that the Rexy would munch him.

Gordon entered the paddock and approached Rexy slowly. He raised his arms as if spreading wings, with his palms facing towards the sky. And then he allowed his restraints to fall from him mind. He allowed his powers to wash over the paddock unrestrained, trusting that they would not lash out and attack the Rex against his will.

It had been a long time since he had gotten to stretch his mind like this, he had almost forgotten how strong he really was. Imbued with confidence, his mind continued to expand as he approached the baffled Rex. She had widened her eyes after the first minute when she realized that Gordon was thousands of times stronger than the man who raised her.

It wasn't until his powers had reached the Innovation Center did they stop expanding. He had let about half of his being free, although he could consume half the island, he found it unnecessary. The alpha waves washed over Rexy and Claire, not penetrating their minds. The air turned heavy and even someone like Claire, who had no latent psychic power, could tell something was amiss.

Gordon stood before Rexy with his arms raised. She stared at him for a moment before determining what he wanted. She leaned down and pressed her nose against his chest. Claire let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She thought the ancient Rex was going to kill him.

But that was not the case. Gordon wrapped his arms the best he could around the old Rex's snout. _"_ _I'm sorry for your loss. I may not understand what it is like to lose someone, but I have someone that I fear I could lose,"_ Gordon said carefully.

He transmitted images of Saber to Rexy so she knew what he was talking about. After he had finished, she raised her head once again and Gordon lowered his arms. _"_ _She is safe in your hands,"_ the old Rex commented. _"_ _What is your name, psychic?"_

 _"_ _Dr. Gordon Freeman. But Gordon is fine,"_ he replied.

 _"_ _The humans here have named me Rexy,"_ she snorted to herself.

 _"_ _The name suits you,"_ Gordon chuckled lightly and reached out with his mind to try and make contact with Saber. After he had been exposed to the AED, his link with Saber had been severed. Since he was already letting his powers roam free, he might as well try and direct them towards her.

He concentrated and sent a literal tsunami of alpha waves towards Saber. The wave passed by any animals in its path without harming them. Gordon smirked to himself, he had come a long way from the little kid who accidentally slaughtered half his classmates.

When he reached the paddock, he attempted to make contact with Saber. To his dismay, he found that there was something blocking his signal. It could only be one thing... an AED. _King's there,_ Gordon growled to himself.

Rexy noticed his features darkening and said, _"_ _I may be locked in this cage, but I am more than aware of everything that goes on in this island. I could smell him the moment he touched foot here, the stench of death follows him. I know what he wants and I will not let him take my home from me. I am happy here. When the time comes, you can count on me during the final battle!"_

Gordon bowed his heads, _"_ _I am grateful. When the final battle arrives, I will release you upon him, so that he may taste your fury."_ She responded by leaning her head back and releasing an earth-splitting, terrifying **ROAR!** that rattled the glass in the viewing room.

Gordon smiled and bid her adieu. He exited the paddock and came face-to-face with a panicked Claire. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

"She and I had a heart-to-heart talk," he said and made his way out of the T-Rex Kingdom. Claire followed behind him, firing off a million questions at once. He ignored her to the best of his ability, he did not wish to explain what had happened between Rexy and himself.

He was stopped when four people stepped out in front of him. Gordon raised an eyebrow, but the smile quickly fell off his face when he realized that they had AED's on them. The theta waves slammed into him, causing him to form the shield around his mind again. Thankfully he didn't start bleeding.

More and more men and women in mercenary uniforms surrounded him. Claire was shoved out of the tight circle. There were a total of ten mercenaries, all brandishing weapons of varying calibers. "Dr. Freeman, we have been ordered to take you into custody."

XXX

Saber stared at the strange man in a black suit. He was the one who smelled of death. He had a large smirk on his face. "How are you today, my dear," he greeted kindly. Saber narrowed her eyes at his strange high pitched voice and slight Irish accent.

Behind him stood Mary, still wearing a black trench coat and skirt, plus a red shirt. She was silent, but did not look happy. Next to her stood an extremely tall man with long hair that passed his shoulders. He easily dwarfed every other human in the room. His face was a neutral mask that hid what he was thinking.

Still further behind them stood three heavily armed men with their faces concealed by helmets. They carried large assault rifles, but held them down at their hips, not aiming at Saber. She assumed they were here incase negotiations went sideways... like they would pose a threat to her.

 _"_ _Conflicted,"_ Saber answered. She flicked her eyes down to Owen to double check if he was hidden from their sight. The man followed her gaze but did not see anything. Mary translated for Saber, so that King could understand. It would seem as if King was not like Dr. Freeman or Mary.

"You may call me King. You have already heard our offer and we have come to hear your answer," King explained.

 _"_ _I don't have an answer yet,"_ Mary translated. Saber was still unsure if it was worth sacrificing everything for freedom.

King's grin faltered for a moment, "Is that what you are conflicted about?" His voice was unpleasant to her ears. Unlike Dr. Freeman's deeper voice, King's higher pitch jumped from word to word, as if someone was falling up stairs.

Saber did not say anything. "You can trust me, my dear," King said, raising his right hand. Saber glared at him, he was purposely using Dr. Freeman's mannerisms. "If you don't wish to share, that's fine. But I really need your answer now... it'll take a few days for the ship to get here, but we can get you out within three days."

Saber thought for a moment. King spoke as if he already knew what Saber was going to say. But he assumed that she would say yes. She grimaced, suddenly aggravated by the presumptuous annoying human. _"_ _I'm conflicted because I'm not sure if I want to tear you to pieces or not,"_ she growled.

Mary started to sweat as she relayed Saber's message. The grin fell off of King's face completely. _"_ _How dare you come into my home and assume anything about me. I have half a mind to say no just for that,"_ Saber snarled.

She tried to shove her head into the viewing room, but once again, a barrier prevented her from doing so. But the barrier seemed weaker than before, Saber took careful notice of that.

"Then I guess I have no use to lie to you. You must be aware if you stay here you die, correct?" King's voice flattened out and dropped a pitch. It was still higher than Freeman's, but it no longer grated on Saber's ears.

 _"_ _There you go assuming again. You must be underestimating Dr. Freeman and myself. I am fully capable of stopping whatever cataclysm you have planned for my home..._ _my island_ _,"_ Saber said. Mary gulped while translating.

The grin returned to King's face, though it was no longer friendly. The malicious intent behind the smirk betrayed his next words. "Is that a threat, my dear? If it is, can I assume your answer is no?" he waved his hand slightly and the three men stepped forward and raised their weapons. Mary gritted her teeth, grinding them so loudly that Saber could hear it.

Saber grinned the best she could. Her mouth pulled back, revealing all of her teeth in a smile that would strike fear into even the bravest of men. King was unimpressed, though she doubted he was a man at all. _"_ _The only correct assumption you have made. Indeed my answer is no."_

King raised two fingers, preparing to give the order to open fire. Saber reared back, preparing to smash through the weakened barrier. Mary extended her mind, trying to force her way into Saber's, but she found that Saber had blocked her out.

Saber let out her loudest, most terrifying roar, tearing the heavens apart and causing Mary to slap her hands over her ears. Her enhanced hearing made it so the sound was physically painful for her. Her barrier faltered. The others were in mild discomfort but none reacted as Mary did. The tall man didn't even flinch.

Saber rushed forward and _smashed_ her head through Mary's weakened barrier, causing the inhabitants of the viewing room to yelp in surprise. King jumped backwards just before her jaws closed around him. She cursed loudly and turned her attention to the three men who open fired on her.

She snapped her jaws around one of the men, tearing him in two. She released him and grabbed a second man. The bullets were bouncing off of her tough hide, but she was lucky none struck her in her eyes. She guessed their panic threw off their aim. She tore the man out of the viewing room and tossed him as far as she could. She heard a satisfying _splat_ as the body made contact with the hard concrete of the paddock walls.

The body seemed to burst on contact with the wall, painting the wall red. Bits and pieces of the man crumbled to the ground as chunks continued to drip down the surface slowly. Saber smirked to herself as she turned her attention back inside of the room.

She shoved her head back in, but was startled when the tall man moved faster than one would think possible for a man of his size. She was further surprised when he struck her _with his bare hands_. She reared back out of the room when she realized that the area the man had hit stung harshly. The man had hurt her with his bare hands.

She roared again and this time stuck one of her hands inside of the room. The tall man dove out of the way of her talons and picked up Mary, who had passed out after Saber had smashed through her barrier. The tall man retreated to the door, but Saber kept thrusting into the room, trying to spear the other guard or King.

King frowned and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small black box. Saber faltered in confusion, but quickly regained composure and continued her assault. He clicked the red button on the box and a shrill scream penetrated the room.

Saber recoiled from the sound. The high pitched screaming didn't seem to affect King, the man, or the remaining guard, but the unconscious Mary writhed in pain. The screaming was too much for Saber to handle.

She withdrew her deadly claws and curled them against her body as she shook her head rapidly, trying to make her head stop spinning. The sound seemed to throw her entire mind out of wack. She couldn't think straight.

"Although designed to deal with psychics, the high pitched sound the AED emanates can cause extreme discomfort to animals that have better hearing than humans. Such as you, my dear," King explained. "Fitting that the weapon designed to deal with your handler can be used to destroy you as well."

Saber growled the best she could under the pressure of the screaming. Her mind was spinning. She had to make it stop, but King didn't seem to want to leave or shut the device off. If she lost consciousness and fell to her side... she could hurt herself.

Panic set in as she wobbled slightly. In a last ditch attempt to save herself, she roared again. But this roar was different than her last. It was somehow... louder. So loud that it hurt her throat.

The roar was unlike anything she or any of the humans had heard before. It was so alien that even King grew confused. Because it was not a normal roar. Electricity surged through Saber's mind with a moment of clarity.

King grew more confused when the lights began to flicker before going out entirely. The screeching stopped. King stared at Saber in the darkened room as she lowered her head to glare at him. The intense malice that came off of Saber's glare made King start to sweat. She bared her teeth and roared the alien roar again.

She had no idea what had happened, but the screaming box was no longer screaming. She shoved her head back into the room just as King said, "Oh shit. Retreat!" and he dove backwards just as her maw snapped shut violently in the space he had just occupied.

King and the tall man carrying Mary made it out of the room, but Saber managed to catch the last soldier in her maw. She easily cleaved his body in twain. What was left of the man fell to the ground with a wet squelch, screaming for help. King did not look back even once.

Saber ended the pathetic man's life by dragging him out of the paddock and throwing him against a tree. She reared her head back and let out yet another alien roar, this time calling for victory! She was more than the queen of this island. She was its _goddess._

XXX

"If I may ask, why?" Gordon said, raising an eyebrow. Despite knowing he couldn't use his powers, he was extremely relaxed.

"For interfering, of course," one of the mercenaries said. "King had ordered a detachment to stay near you incase you did something he didn't like."

"I have no idea what you mean by interfering. I was just having a friendly chat with our resident T-Rex," Gordon said.

Claire watched in confusion as the soldiers shuffled nervously. She had no idea what was going on. Today was such a strange day. First, she had witnessed what she could only assume was magic fire, she saw two Raptors running from the burning labs, then the CEO just randomly appears on the island, and then Gordon managed to not get killed by Rexy, despite touching the temperamental Rex.

And now he was being surrounded by soldiers and being taken into custody. For interfering? Claire had half a mind to march over to the group of soldiers and order them to stand down. But Dr. Freeman gave her a look that said clearly: _don't you dare._ He could handle this alone.

It was at that moment that Claire realized that none of the soldiers were from ACU. She gripped the phone in her pocket, prepared to call for ACU to come and take these strange soldiers off of her island. They had said they were under the orders of King...

"We all felt the surge of power in the air, Dr. Freeman," one of the soldiers said.

"I was under the impression that King wouldn't bother with me. I have agreed to stay out of his way, I wasn't attempting to do anything," Gordon explained. He heard Saber roar in the distance.

His expression grew darker as the mercenaries released the safeties on their weapons with soft clicks. A second roar could be heard in the distance from Saber. But this roar was different, and the mercenaries took notice of it.

"If you are resisting arrest, then you shall be terminated," the same soldier spoke again. They trained their weapons on Dr. Freeman's head and prepared to fire. Saber could be heard once again from her paddock.

This time, a few of the mercenaries started muttering among themselves, "What was that?" some said. "What's happening over there?" another said. "Is King in trouble?"

Yet another roar could be heard, even louder this time. A devious smirk crossed Gordon's face as he started to chuckle. The mercenaries looked at him in confusion as his chuckle turned into full-blown laughter.

The air seemed to crackle as a surge of power passed by the soldiers. Several of the buildings began to lose power, including the Innovation Center. Dr. Freeman's laughter continued, starting to freak Claire out.

The mercenaries decided enough was enough and began to open fire on the now mentally unstable, cackling madly doctor. Only they would've open fired, if they hadn't found their bodies frozen. Their fingers stuck on the trigger, unable to pull them.

Dr. Freeman glared at the mercenary that had done all of the talking, his eyes seemingly glowing with a violence none of the mercenaries had seen before. "Terminate me? You must be mistaken," he said, a smirk still present on his face.

"W-w-what happened?" the mercenary asked. Fear was evident on his face as he struggled to regain control of his body.

"My power stems from my ability to manipulate alpha waves and attack others. You AED's use theta waves, a lower energy wave, to disrupt my signal and seriously harm my brain. And Dr. Giddings uses beta waves, a much higher energy wave than both theta and alpha, to create fire by vibrating the waves back and forth," Dr. Freeman explained.

"But the Indominus, though having a high concentration of alpha waves, cannot use them offensively. But why? Because she is host to a much greater power. Along with the other brain waves, there is an even higher energy wave than beta, called a gamma wave. They are rare in humans and no human would be able to control them... however, Saber is not a human," Gordon continued.

He stretched one of his hands out, palm facing upwards, as if offering a hand to the terrified mercenary. "Gamma waves are different. Because they are so high intensity, they tend to leave an electric trail behind them as they move. By projecting gamma waves outwards... Saber has created an EMP pulse that has effectively rendered your AED's unusable," he finished.

Claire watched as Gordon threw terms around that she had never heard before. AED's? Brain waves? She was thoroughly confused, but did not try and approach Dr. Freeman.

"It looks like King has failed to recruit Saber to his side. I guess I win this match," Gordon mused. He turned back to the mercenaries and pretended to ponder what he was going to do with them.

"W-w-what are y-you going t-to do?" the mercenary asked.

Gordon smirk widened and said, "You have provided me with useful information. There is no way King had already ordered a detachment to follow me... you must have a man at control. And, there is no way King would've ordered you to engage me directly, so this must be the work of someone else. There is discord in your ranks that will be easy to exploit."

The mercenary managed to gulp. "I'd hate to have to do King's job for him, but I cannot allow you to live. Besides, I have a rat to find," Dr. Freeman explained. He curled his hand inward and the mercenaries dropped to the ground, dead.

He looked at one of the cameras. It had gone down after the EMP pulse, but there was no doubt someone at control trying to delete the footage of him being attacked by the mercenaries. "You killed them," Claire said simply. It wasn't question.

Gordon turned around to face Claire, he had nearly forgotten about her. "Yes," was his simple response.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Gordon sighed, the grin vanishing off of his face. "You see, if King finds out that either you or Masrani know about what is going on, I'm afraid he'll hit the park with everything he's got. I do not wish that to happen. At the moment, I have the advantage because he thinks I'm out of the game."

"So you aren't going to explain what happened between you and Rexy? Or why these men just dropped to the ground, dead?" Claire asked.

"I'm going to have to wipe your memory. I hope you understand," he said. Claire's eyes went blank as he took a hold of her mind. He deleted several memories and implanted new ones. He waved his hand and sent her off towards her office, where she will reawaken thinking she had passed out in her office.

Gordon checked a few of the bodies and sure enough, all of the AED's were completely busted. He sighed and left the bodies where they lied. He had no reason to move them. He trudged back towards his truck, intent on making his way back to Saber's paddock. He was proud of her, finally managing to tap into her power.

XXX

 **There we go, yet another chapter down. Hopefully, you all got a kick out of this one. What's happened to Owen? Did he really have a stroke? We'll see more of him next chapter. And Rexy and Gordon had a moment, didn't they? Saber revealed her own unique power. And Claire had her memory wiped. Things are getting wilder and wilder, aren't they? Stay tuned until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21 - Hiraeth:

Author's Note:

 **I am fully aware that I was saying Electromagnetic Pulse pulse... I had actually spelled the word out, but decided EMP was easier. I forgot to delete the pulse part. I'm sorry if I sounded like an idiot. Anyways... you all should have noticed that this story contains two main plot lines. Owen, Wu, and Sam are on one line and Gordon, Saber, and King are on the other. Soon, very soon, these two lines will cross, so that's something to be excited about! I'll leave it up to you when you think the lines have crossed, so please enjoy the chapter!**

XXX

Dr. Freeman walked into the viewing room to see Saber panting heavily. It had only been a few minutes since her incident. The EMP blast had exhausted her, something that Gordon had picked up on immediately. As well as the blood stains on the floor.

"That went better than I expected. I was hoping you'd figure out how to do that soon," Gordon commented, not really congratulating or reprimanding Saber for what she had done.

 _"_ _What did you do to me?"_ she asked, glaring at him. She had been alive for over nine years, she had never once detected that power anywhere inside of her. So she assumed that Gordon had done something to her.

"I have done nothing," Gordon said. He walked over to the broken glass, not wanting to loiter in the entryway. "I had detected the gamma waves coming off of your mind a day after you had received your name. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure if you'd be able to harness them or not... it would seem as if you can."

 _"_ _Damn straight. It was... exhilarating, to say the least, but draining at the same time. I don't think I want to do that again,"_ she admitted.

Gordon shook his head in disappointment, "That's no good. You need to keep practicing. The only reason you're so tired is because of the immense range you projected your new-found powers. We'll practice on a smaller scale, in time it will be easy for you to project the EMP wave across the entire island."

 _"_ _Is that why the lights went out?"_

"Yes. EMP, electromagnetic pulse. It will allow you to disable anything that requires electricity, which will come in handy due to our enemy's new weapon."

 _"_ _The screaming box,"_ she growled.

"Indeed. But we've found a way to neutralize it, now it's only a matter of time," he said. He paused before saying, "I know what King had offered you... and I'm glad you've chosen to stay."

 _"_ _I was seriously considering leaving, I hope you understand that. It's just he was so patronizing, I couldn't stand being near him,"_ Saber said.

"I bet he smelled bad too," Gordon smirked.

 _"_ _He smelled of death."_

Gordon raised an eyebrow, "Did he now? That's interesting. Now we just have to consider our next move. I really do appreciate you staying, we would be at a loss without you backing us up."

 _"_ _I'm fully aware of that,"_ Saber said, her pride inflating just a little. She watched as Gordon stroked his chin, trying to come up with a plan. As he though, the viewing room door opened and someone walked in.

Saber waited for Gordon to react, but it looked like he was too absorbed in thinking to notice. She stared as one of the three security guards waltzed into the room and did a double take when he saw Saber right in front of the broken glass, with Gordon not moving.

"Uh, Dr. Freeman?" the guard said, catching Gordon's attention. He snapped out of his thinking and turned around slowly to face the guard.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Are you sure that's safe?" he said, pointing to Saber.

"Perfectly," Gordon said. He lit up when he was reminded of something important. He turned back around to face Saber, "That reminds me, I spoke to Masrani about our sliding door idea, and he took to it. The glass will be replaced in a few days."

 _"_ _Really?! I can't wait!"_

Gordon turned back around, "Why are you here? With the broken glass, there are no shows, and thus you don't need to be here." But there was something more pressing than the guard being here when he shouldn't.

 _"_ _Saber..."_ Gordon transmitted his thoughts directly to her.

 _"_ _What?"_ she responded.

 _"_ _I can't sense him,"_ Gordon said. Although his body was calm, his though sounded slightly panicked.

"Well I was wonderin' when the shows would start up again. Plus I wanted to make sure you didn't need our help..." the guard said.

Gordon turned back around to face Saber, "I do not require your assistance at the moment, but since you're here, could you please take the radio that you left on my desk? I put it in one of the drawers."

 _"_ _Are you sure you can't sense him?"_ Saber asked.

 _"_ _Positive. There's something surrounding his mind that's preventing my alpha waves from getting to it. It must be a shield,"_ Gordon said.

"Oh, I wondered where I left it. Thanks Doc," the guard said. He sat down at the desk and started to dig through the drawers.

 _"_ _You don't think that it's..."_ Saber trailed off.

 _"_ _I do,"_ Gordon confirmed. "Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way," he mumbled out loud. He walked calmly and quietly behind the guard. He was so busy digging through the drawers that he didn't even notice Dr. Freeman.

"Oh, here it is!" the guard said raising his head and holding the radio into the air. Dr. Freeman acted fast, while he still had the element of surprise. He grabbed a hold of the guard's arm and twisted it hard. He then grabbed the guard's head and slammed it as hard as he could against the desk.

The guard's head banged against the desk, causing him to be knocked unconscious. His head left a dent in the polished wood. It had happened in less than a second. Gordon was fast.

Gordon rifled through the guard's pockets until he found the object he had been searching for. He pulled it free from one of the vest pockets and held it up so Saber could see. It was an AED, but this time the orange button had been pushed down.

 _"_ _One of the screaming boxes. But this one isn't screaming?"_ Saber observed.

Gordon held the device up to his ear, but didn't hear anything. "This must be a few pitches below what I can hear." Holding the device so close to himself was disorienting, but it was not harming Dr. Freeman.

He pressed the white button down and the orange button popped back up. He regained clarity after that. _"_ _What was it doing?"_

"If the red button produces theta waves, the orange button must produce delta waves," Gordon said. He noticed Saber's confused look and clarified, "Delta waves are a very low energy wave that can apparently block out my alpha waves... it must act like a cloaking device. If I focus hard enough, I might be able to breach the cloak, but if I was in a crowded area, I may never notice him."

 _"_ _So your alpha waves just pass around the delta waves? Like water and oil?"_ Saber asked. Gordon only nodded. He turned the guard over and put a hand against his head.

"So he was working for King all along... I wonder why? Was he spying on me, or you?" Gordon pondered out loud. "There's nothing in his memory, he's just an underling. But one of the other guards may know."

 _"_ _How are you going to get them here?"_ Saber asked. Gordon ignored her and focused on the guard. It only took a few seconds until the unconscious guard began moving on his own. The guard pulled a phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

At the same time, Gordon had pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number as well. "I need you here. Wait ten minutes before setting out," Gordon ordered and hung up.

"Emergency at Indominus paddock, I need you both here immediately," the guard said into the phone.

Gordon smirked, "Just like that." He waved his hand and the guard fell to the ground, but not dead. Gordon palmed the AED and considered destroying it, but decided against it. "I think we have our next move," he grinned.

XXX

The darkness was suffocating. Owen was frozen in place, as if chained to the floor. He breathed slowly and focused hard, trying to wake up. He knew exactly what had happened to himself. He had passed out... at worst he had a stroke.

He knew that he was in some deep, dark corner of his mind. The words that had materialized in the darkness had provided a harsh red glow, but they soon faded. "Why can't I wake up?" Owen growled out loud.

Once again, the words he had spoken appeared in the darkness, presenting the harsh glow once again. Taunting him. He couldn't escape, whatever had happened, he had screwed up big time. He might be permanently paralyzed. Or maybe he was in a vegetative state.

The thoughts sent him into a panic, he struggled harder. He must still be in Saber's paddock... what if she tried to harm him while he was vulnerable. "Let me up!" Owen cried out as he struggled.

The new words replaced the old, hovering above Owen's prone form. Eventually, he gave up struggling. There was no use. He was going to die here.

 _What did I do to deserve this?_ Owen thought. It would seem that his thoughts wouldn't come back to mock him in the form of large, bold letters floating above his head.

 _"_ _You have done everything and nothing all at once,"_ a voice said, echoing throughout the darkness. Owen didn't recognize the voice, nor did he know which direction it came from.

"Who are you?" Owen called out. The words in the blackened sky vanished, leaving him in total darkness once again.

 _"_ _I am you,"_ the voice said.

"Me?" Owen responded. There was a flash of white, causing Owen to shut his eyes from the blinding light. When he opened them, the darkness was gone in favor of a white room. He tested the strength of his bonds, but found himself to be free.

He stood from his kneeling position and walked a few paces. The white room stretched as far as his eyes could see in every direction. There was still no escape, but at least he wasn't frozen in place. "Where are you?"

 _"_ _I am everywhere and nowhere all at once,"_ the voice said. Owen looked around and saw no one.

"Do you at least have a name?" Owen called out. Because he saw no physical form, he wasn't sure where to direct his question. Although he was grateful to the voice for freeing him, it was awkward trying to talk to it.

 _"_ _You may address me as Omega,"_ the voice answered.

"I thought you said you were me?"

 _"_ _I am you but not you all at once,"_ Omega responded.

 _That's getting annoying,_ Owen groaned to himself. "Fine then. Can you tell me how to get out of here? I know that I passed out..."

The voice was silent. The room started to shake, throwing Owen off balance and sent him tumbling to the ground. As he picked himself up off of the ground, he saw the darkness beginning to take back the room.

The room started to bleed black as the darkness rushed forwards, trying to reclaim Owen. Startled, Owen jumped back and started to back away from the ever approaching darkness. Further and further back he went, the darkness only picking up speed.

But before Owen was forced to turn around and run, the darkness stopped. Confused, Owen stopped as well. _"_ _This is your mindscape, Owen. I am your light and he is your darkness,"_ Omega explained.

The thick blackness of the other half of the room began to pull back slightly, allowing a form to manifest. _"_ _It's rude to call me the darkness... I'm his instinct, pure instinct,"_ a new voice said. But this one had a form. It was Alpha!

The red Raptor stood glaring into the room. He wasn't looking specifically at Owen, but panned his vision around, as if searching for something that was not there. _"_ _That's fair... then I must be his logic, his human. You are his Raptor,"_ Omega agreed.

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Owen asked. He could feel the pull from the darkness. Like a black hole, he felt gravitated towards the dark side of the room.

 _"_ _You cannot be his human, that form over there is the human... you are like his angel,"_ the red Raptor argued.

 _"_ _Enough symbolism. It is irrelevant who we are in comparison to him, we_ _are_ _him. Go ahead, talk to him,"_ the voice commanded.

 _"_ _Step closer so that we may speak,"_ Alpha commanded.

Owen shook his head rapidly. "The darkness had consumed me once, I don't want to go anywhere near you!"

 _"_ _I am not necessarily bad. Like I said, I am your instinct. Now step forth,"_ Alpha growled. Owen hesitated, but eventually complied. He stepped closer to the red Raptor, nearly crossing to the dark side of the room.

"I have a bone to pick with you," Owen growled at the Raptor. Alpha cocked his head as Owen continued, "What's your deal, huh? Why do you keep taking control of my body? I am doing perfectly fine without you."

To Owen, this entire situation was insane. But, he had accepted the fact that there were other personalities inside of his head, and it would seem whatever happened to him allowed him to make contact with Alpha. Now he could do as Saber suggested.

 _"_ _That's where you are wrong. You would've died instantly if it wasn't for me,"_ Alpha growled, clawing at the ground. He felt more comfortable in the mindscape. He was connected to Owen and now understood everything that was going on... if only Owen had the same luxury.

"I _created_ you when I was attacked. You're just a product of my panic, a way to help me cope with the damage I suffered. Well I don't need you anymore, you can go away!"

Alpha blinked at Owen and shook his head, _"_ _You're missing the point. I have always been inside of your head, Owen, the virus just gave me form. You can't just tell me to go away."_

Owen ground his teeth together in frustration. He had to be missing something! "Why don't you explain to me what I'm missing."

 _"_ _That is not my job,"_ Alpha said, turning away from Owen. He began to sink back into the darkness.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Owen yelled at his retreating form. Alpha ignored him. Owen collapsed to the ground in disarray. He held his head in his hands, "I've lost my mind..."

XXX

Dr. Freeman watched as the two guards rushed into the viewing room, completely unaware of the trap set for them. Dr. Freeman quickly and efficiently took each of them down. Neither of them had activated their AED's, so forcing them to kneel before Gordon was simple.

Gordon rummaged through their pockets and sure enough, found two more AED's to add to the pile. The guards glared at him the entire time. "Don't look at me like that," Gordon said after finishing taking their weapons, "You shouldn't have betrayed us."

He woke the other guard up from his unconscious state and forced him to walk over to the other guards. And he too was forced to kneel before Gordon. Of the three guards, this one was the shortest. Although still taller than Dr. Freeman, the shorter guard was several inches below the tallest guard, who stood at six foot six.

Gordon bent at the hip and leaned down to their level. "Who's going to tell me what you all were doing at the paddock. The fool who had walked in with his AED still on doesn't know, so one of you must."

The tallest guard growled, "Fuck you," and tried to spit on Gordon's face. But the good doctor was expecting that response and forced the guard to bite his own tongue. The guard cried out in pain as his tongue bled.

"Why bother asking? You can just take the information from us!" the shortest guard whimpered.

Gordon smirked, "That's true... but I find this so much more _fun._ Saber can attest to that." she crooned in agreement. Although Gordon already knew the answer, it was more interesting to force them to admit to their crimes out loud, so Saber could enjoy it as well.

"You're just like _him_ , you know?" the third guard said. "He would do the same in your position!"

"I am fully aware of our similarities, that is why I am capable of beating _him_ at this game. And you are only helping."

The third guard smirked, "You cannot beat him, _he's_ played this game more than you have. _He's_ mastered it! You are just a child next to _him!_ "

Gordon silenced him, "This is my favorite part... seeing which one of you breaks first." He held up a single finger, "Do you know how much force it takes to bite off a finger? Not much more than it takes to bite into a carrot... so why can't you bite off your fingers?"

He let the question hang in the air for a moment, none of the guards dared answer. "Because your brain doesn't allow you to bite them off. But guess what? You aren't in control of your brain anymore," Gordon threatened.

He took control of the third guard and had him raise one of his fingers to his mouth. "Speak, or you lose the finger," Gordon commanded. The guard trembled but did not break.

 _"_ _Dr. Freeman?"_ Saber asked, now slightly concerned. To her, psychological trauma was always more fun to witness... but perhaps Dr. Freeman was going too far.

"Come on... or you'll lose it," Gordon coerced. But the guard didn't waver, shaking his head slowly. As if calling the good doctor's bluff. Gordon sighed and with a simple command.. forced the guard to bite off his index finger.

All of the guards screamed as blood spurted from the stump left behind. Although only the third guard screamed in pain, the other two screamed in fear.

 _"_ _Dr. Freeman?"_ Saber asked again, louder this time. The thrill of watching someone being torn to shreds was surprisingly absent from her mind. In her desperation to stop Dr. Freeman, she didn't stop to ponder what happened to her bloodlust.

"Who's next?" Dr. Freeman whispered. He picked the tallest guard next, putting his ring finger in his mouth. He was married, just a taste of irony in the good doctor's mind. He watched with a neutral expression as the guard struggled and screamed in fear.

"Alright, alright!" the tallest guard cried out, causing Gordon to pause. "We were sent to gather data!"

"Data? Why would King need data on me..." Gordon pondered.

"Not on you, on her," the guard motioned the best he could to Saber. "Please..." the guard begged when Gordon didn't immediately remove his finger from his own mouth.

"Why would King need data on her?"

"I swear I don't know!" the guard yelled.

"I wasn't asking you, fool," Gordon said. He gave the command again, forcing the guard to bite off his own finger. A new round of screaming began, followed by begging for mercy.

 _"_ _GORDON!"_ Saber roared, bringing him back to the real world. _"_ _Stop,"_ she chittered much quieter.

Gordon stared at the guards for a moment. "I'm just the bad guy to you... remember? Just like _him_ ," he hissed. He gave a new command, causing the three guards to grasp their own heads. And they were gone with a loud _snap!_

Gordon let out a deep sigh as the bodies tumbled over themselves when they fell to the floor. He approached Saber slowly and sat down in front of the broken window. She shuffled in place, _"_ _Was that absolutely necessary?"_

"Necessary? We're on the brink of war, nothing is _necessary..._ Perhaps I just want to find the best way to kill King when I finally have him kneeling before me," Gordon said.

 _"_ _I think... that little show was for my benefit, not yours,"_ Saber hissed in return.

"Of course it was," Gordon said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Don't you see this is all for you? All of this is about you..."

 _"_ _Why? Why bother fighting for me?"_

Dr. Freeman didn't respond to her questions. "We have our next move. Now that we have the AED's we can work on a more efficient way to dismantle them. In any case, it's time to counter-attack," he said.

 _"_ _What about Owen?"_ she asked, glancing down by her feet. Owen was still slumbering faithfully. Dr. Freeman hadn't said anything about him.

"What about him?" Gordon asked.

 _"_ _He's here, unconscious in my paddock,"_ she explained. Gordon raised an eyebrow and leaned out of the broken window. He followed her eyes and sure enough, Owen was laying on his side by her feet.

"How did he get there?"

 _"_ _He came looking for you. Can you not sense him either? Maybe you're losing your touch,"_ Saber's lip pulled back in a smirk.

Gordon glared at her but couldn't think of a comeback. So he made his way down into her paddock. He shooed her backwards so Owen could have some space. Concentrating, he noted why he couldn't sense Owen before. "His brain is giving off some serious delta waves. That would be why I cannot sense him. However, they don't seem as strong as the AED gives off... I'm going to try and wake him up."

Saber nodded and watched Dr. Freeman prepare to enter Owen's mindscape. Even though their link was still severed, she could feel the alpha waves radiating off of Dr. Freeman. Gathering and turning, rearing back and preparing to smash through the delta wave barrier around Owen's mind.

XXX

The darkness had vanished from Owen's mindscape. Now it was just him and Omega. "What did he mean that he was already a part of me?" Owen asked. Nothing made sense to him.

 _"_ _We have always been here and not been here all at once,"_ Omega clarified. Owen rolled his eyes, the voice was doing _it_ again. Giving him an answer and then immediately contradicting itself.

"What. Does. That. Mean?" Owen asked slowly, trying to get his message across.

 _"_ _It means whatever you want it to mean,"_ the voice claimed.

"So you don't know..." Owen deadpanned.

 _"_ _Not a clue,"_ the voice confirmed. _Well, at least it's a smart ass, like me,_ Owen groaned to himself.

Owen sat down, he was getting tired of standing around in the white room. "How do I get out of here?" he asked.

 _"_ _Through the door,"_ the voice said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Owen looked around, but saw no door. "What door?" he asked. The voice paused, confused. It seemed to turn around in a circle, if that was possible for a disembodied voice to do, looking for the door.

 _"_ _There should be a door..."_ at that moment, the room began to shake again. Owen didn't panic this time, thinking that it was just Alpha coming to help look for this door. But it wasn't the darkness that started to envelope the room.

It was a strange purple color, one that Owen felt like he recognized. The purple color consumed the formerly white room. The purple color only stopped when there was a small box of white left where Owen was standing.

Owen strained his eyes, trying to see what was inside the mass of purple. Could it be yet another personality? He was already losing his mind over two, he didn't need another one. He was extremely surprised when Dr. Freeman stepped out of the purple mass.

Owen smacked his forehead, of course it was the good doctor. The violet color the room had turned was the same color as his eyes. "There you are," Owen said nonchalantly, as if ignoring the fact he was trapped inside of his own mind.

 _"_ _What are you doing here?"_ Omega asked. Despite the lack of a physical form, Owen could feel Omega glaring at the good doctor.

 _"_ _I am here for him,"_ Gordon said, pointing at Owen. He didn't acknowledge the disembodied voice.

"Did Saber tell you what happened?" Owen asked.

 _"_ _Vaguely. She said something about you passing out during your transformation."_

"Yeah, something like that. I had actually come to talk to you about this," Owen said, pointing up into the sky. "Wu and I had a chat and he seems to think that I have multiple personalities. He thought that you might be able to do something about that."

Gordon sighed and rubbed his head, _"_ _It's a common misnomer, 'Multiple Personality Disorder'. The DSM-IV changed the name to Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID for short. And no, you don't have DID."_ He took a look around and nodded, as if confirming his own theory.

"Huh?" Owen asked, scratching his head.

 _"_ _Please leave,"_ Omega pleaded, not paying attention to the conversation the two were having.

"How do you know I don't have multiple personalities... or DID?" Owen asked.

 _"_ _Take a look around your mindscape, what do you see?"_ Gordon asked, gesturing to the now purple room.

 _"_ _Why do you interfere?"_ Omega asked, still trying to force Dr. Freeman to leave.

"I don't see anything."

 _"_ _Exactly. Think of your mindscape as a mirror. That mirror is quote-on-quote 'you'. If you put a crack in that mirror, the two halves divided by the crack are your different personalities. If you hit the mirror very hard, you could end up putting multiple cracks and fissures into the mirror, that's DID."_

"So my mirror has no cracks? Then what are these voices?"

 _"_ _If your 'mirror' had cracks in it, you would be able to see multiple versions of yourself here,"_ Gordon explained.

 _"_ _You need to leave,"_ Omega urged. The ground began to shake again, although the white wasn't making any progress taking back the room.

"I saw the Raptor personality! He named himself Alpha," Owen said.

 _"_ _Multiple personalities always manifest themselves as a perfect picture of 'you',"_ Gordon explained. A harsh wind began to pick up, causing Dr. Freeman's lab coat to flap in the gust.

"So what do I have then?" Owen asked.

 _"_ _I don't know!"_ Gordon called out over the wind. The current became so harsh he had to put a arm over his face, trying to protect himself from the wind. _"_ _We need to get you out of here. Come with me!"_

Gordon waved his hand, causing a large white door to appear in Owen's mindscape. He then offered that hand to Owen, so that he could help drag him through the door.

 _"_ _He cannot leave that way!"_ Alpha's voice cried out over the sound of the wind. Owen hesitated in taking Dr. Freeman's hand just long enough for the wind to blow even harder. Dr. Freeman was being forced backwards by the wind itself.

Dr. Freeman gritted his teeth and dug in deeper, trying to hold on. _"_ _We need to go now!"_ he yelled over the wind. Owen tried to reach for his outstretched hand, but the good doctor was blown backwards through the doorway. And the door shut behind him, disappearing.

Gordon's eyes snapped open. He staggered backwards and collapsed to the ground next to Saber. She had decided to lay down only a moment after Dr. Freeman entered Owen's mindscape.

 _"_ _What happened?"_ Saber asked with a bemused grin lining her jaw. She had never seen Dr. Freeman forced out of a mind before.

Gordon growled, "I was caught off-guard. There's definitely something else in his mind."

 _"_ _Something that not even you can handle?"_ Saber's grin widened as much as it possibly could. She was enjoying herself, forgetting about Dr. Freeman snapping moments earlier.

Gordon looked up to her and cracked his neck. The sound caused Saber's grin to fall from her features. The popping sound was an eerie reminder of what he had done. "I just need to use more power. If I shut down certain areas of his mind, I may be able to bring him back..."

Just as Gordon finished his though, more popping, cracking, and snapping could be heard throughout the paddock. Saber cringed slightly, but didn't comment. The sound came from Owen, rearranging his skeletal structure to fit that of a Raptor.

Owen stood from the ground, now in his Raptor form. But it was different this time. Now his scales were a deep ocean blue color and his eyes a blazing, blood red. _"_ _Where is Dr. Freeman?"_ he hissed.

XXX

 **Woah, what's going on? You all knew about Alpha, but who is Omega? And Owen's Raptor form looks different now, could this be Omega's doing? And Owen doesn't have MPD/DID, so what does he have? I'll explain next chapter, but I want to see if anyone can follow the clues and hints I left in this chapter and come to the right conclusion. I warn you, it won't be easy!**

 **I would like to take a moment to talk about Gordon and Saber in this chapter. In hopes not to confuse you, what happened between Saber and Gordon can be called a point of introspection. Basically, Gordon is becoming more and more savage (like Saber) in order to combat the coming threat. He's angry primarily, but he's also afraid (though he doesn't show it). Saber, on the other hand, sees herself in Gordon and is actually scared of what she sees. Coming all the way from the chapter where Hoskins died and her bloodlust was sated. She can't feel it anymore, and that's important. It doesn't feel quite right explaining this here, but it's the best that I can do without interrupting the flow of the story. You'll notice (and I'm forcing you to draw your attention to something, so you know that it's important) in future chapters that Gordon becomes more and more aggressive when it comes to combating King. You'll also notice that he doesn't deny being like King in this chapter. All of this will culminate in the climax, but I'll leave what happens up in the air.**

 **On a much more painful note, I have come to realize that I will be unable to finish this story before classes start. There's going to be one (maybe two if I push myself) more chapters before classes start (I'll tell you when) and then updating will become sparse. It pains me to admit that I just don't have the time to pump out a chapter a day anymore. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next one!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22 - Somnambulist:

Author's Note:

 **We left on a cliffhanger last chapter, exciting stuff. The real question is: was it Owen talking? Or Omega? We'll find out soon enough. No one was able to get exactly what happened to Owen spot on (although one of you came very close). So, let's see what's going on, shall we? I hope you all enjoy!**

XXX

Claire woke up groggy on her desk. She glanced at a clock on the wall and noted that the work day was not through. She put a hand against her head as she tried to remember what happened to her.

Did she consume too much alcohol? No, that couldn't be it. She always stayed well below her limits. Did she fall asleep at work? No, that couldn't be it. She never fell asleep at work. So what happened?

There was a gap in her memories. She remembered doing a report on the dead mercenary and then leaving the Innovation Center after completing it. Everything after that was blank. How did she end up back at her desk, asleep?

She stood from her seat and stretched. It felt like she had been asleep for hours. The gap in her memories wasn't that wide, if she really did fall asleep, it couldn't have been for that long. She felt her neck pop and she decided she should leave her office. She wondered where Zara had gone...

Just as she came to that decision, she heard a knock at her door. She wasn't expecting any visitors, but she shrugged and answered the door anyways. "Mr. King, how can I help you?" she said when she recognized the person at the door.

"Been sleeping, Miss Claire?" King asked with an amused smirk on his face. He entered her office and they both sat down with her desk separating them. Claire's office was much bigger than the one Wu was currently using, plus her desk didn't take up three fourths of the room.

"Is it that obvious?" Claire said sheepishly. She hoped there wasn't a red mark on her forehead. She decided to try and change the topic away from herself before King could answer, "No bodyguard?"

"A friend of mine took a nasty tumble earlier today, he is helping her recover. She should be fine in a few hours," King explained. After their failure at the Indominus paddock, Mary had been knocked unconscious.

"Oh. Where did you find that guy? He's huge," Claire asked. She was curious about the tall Native American man that did not say a word to either her or Masrani. He just stood there and looked intimidating... of which he did a very good job of.

King wouldn't normally elaborate on his favorite employee, but Claire actually looked interested. She was harmless, and would hopefully be dead soon, so King didn't think anything of telling the man's story.

"I found him as a boy, only thirteen years old, in a Navajo tribe in Arizona. Even at that age, he was well over seven feet tall. He was interested in what I did and wanted to come along, he's been faithfully by my side ever since then," King said. He skipped over the part where their tribe was being disbanded by the United States' government, so he really didn't have much of a choice.

He also passed by the fact that the tall man was imbued with some sort of Navajo spirit magic, that granted him immense strength. Strong enough to hurt the Indominus with his bare hands. "So why did you stop by, King?" Claire asked after he had finished his tale.

"I was hoping for a more complete tour of Jurassic World," King said. There was a twinkle in his eye and a genuine smile on his face. He wanted to get the Jurassic World experience at least once before it was gone.

"Of course, we can start with the... labs..." Claire faltered in her speech. She had nearly forgotten that the labs were gone. It was difficult for her to accept that they were gone. The tours she had taken investors on had always started at the labs.

King raised his eyebrow and said, "I don't think we'll be starting there. How about the Cretaceous Cruise? I heard a new attraction was going to be opened there."

Claire lit up, "Our Spinosaurus-Rex, the largest land carnivore Jurassic World has created. He should be just about full size by now." She stood and took a step forward, ready to lead King out of her office. But she stumbled and dropped to one knee. She clutched her head as her ears rang, she must still be feeling the effects of whatever happened to her.

"Are you alright?" King asked, concern evident on his face.

Claire nodded, "I'm fine, just a little woozy." She stood and squared her shoulders. She didn't want to look weak in front of King. She had a reputation to uphold.

"Did anything strange happen recently?" King asked. He had gotten a message a few minutes ago that said a dozen of his best troops had been killed. There was no question that it was Freeman's work, but the message had also mentioned Claire.

If Claire was present, then perhaps she would be able to tell him what happened. He was positive that she had never experienced Gordon's powers first-hand before, so it makes sense that she would be in shock. Unless Freeman toyed with her memory.

"It's really none of your concern," Claire said, trying to fend off King's questions. King just gave her an unamused look, causing her to give in. "My mind just doesn't feel right," she admitted after a moment of silence.

"Doesn't feel right how?" King pressed. Claire didn't feel right admitting that something was wrong, especially to the CEO of InGen. But he was technically her superior, and he seemed to be legitimately concerned, so she gave in again.

"It just feels like there's a gap in my memories," she explained.

King's expression darkened, "That's strange." Claire gave him a questioning look, so he elaborated, "That's the same thing those ACU guards said when we found the dead prisoner."

"That is strange... perhaps I should see what Dr. Freeman has to say about it," Claire pondered aloud.

"Are you and Dr. Freeman close?"

"No," Claire answered a little to quickly for her tastes. She cringed slightly when King caught on.

"Perhaps it would be wise to keep Dr. Freeman out of this," King said, deciding that her apparent... interest with Dr. Freeman was not important.

"And why is that? He's a psychologist, if my mind doesn't feel right, he should be the first person I talk to, right?"

King sighed and went quiet for several minutes. Claire stared at him and eventually sat back down. King had not stood up. "What do you believe in, Claire?" King asked eventually.

"Huh?"

"I believe that you can measure a man's worth by what he puts his faith in," he shrugged.

"I come from a Catholic family, but I don't really attend church here on the island," Claire said. Both her mother and her sister frequented church more than Claire did, even before she started to work on the island.

King nodded and said, "I put my stock more in the Hindu faith. It's fascinating to think that we could be reincarnated, don't you think so? In any case, a man like Dr. Freeman believes in nothing, thus he is worthless."

"Don't you think that's harsh? Just because he is an Atheist doesn't mean he's worthless..." Claire tried to defend the good doctor.

"But he isn't an Atheist. An Atheist puts his stock in science rather than religion, Dr. Freeman puts his stock nowhere," King explained. "My point is, Miss Dearing, a man like Dr. Freeman cannot be trusted. For all you know... he's the one that's causing all of these murders around the island."

"Now hold on, there's no proof-" Claire was cut off by King.

"Dr. Freeman in an anomaly. You know almost nothing about the man and yet he handles your most dangerous asset. How do you think he accomplishes this? He must have some sort of power over her, and what if he could use that power to harm people? He is dangerous."

"Well he certainly is mysterious, I'll give you that. I don't know about any power..." Claire paused.

"Do you not know or do you refuse to believe?" King asked.

"I... don't know. Maybe, Masrani certainly seems to think so," Claire admitted.

"With or without powers, the fact remains that he is dangerous. You should stay away from him," King said, cracking his neck. He stood and began to walk towards the door.

He paused before exiting, "I no longer wish upon a tour. I think I would rather explore by myself. Good day, Miss Dearing." And with that, he exited the room. _Easy peasy,_ he smirked to himself as he walked away from Claire's office.

XXX

Owen was plunged back into the darkness. After Dr. Freeman had been ejected from his mind, the white room disappeared. At least he could still move freely. And he was pretty sure he wasn't alone. If Omega was the light, then Alpha was the dark. Alpha was still here.

"Alpha?" he asked tentatively. He still wasn't sure what to think the red Raptor. On one hand, according to the red Raptor himself, he had protected Owen. On the other hand, he had also killed people, which was unacceptable.

 _"_ _I am here,"_ Alpha's voice sounded. It was disembodied, just like Omega's had been.

"What's happening? What's going on!"

 _"_ _You are safe, that's all that matters,"_ Alpha said.

"I'm still trapped here, I don't think that's very safe."

 _"_ _When our body is no longer in danger, I will let you out,"_ the voice explained.

"My body? What's happening to my body!" Owen said, starting to panic. "If my body is in danger, shouldn't I be defending it?"

 _"_ _Our body is being protected. Omega has control, just leave everything to him."_

Owen stared into the darkness for a moment, "Is this because of Dr. Freeman? Why didn't you let him free me?"

 _"_ _That man is very dangerous! I had to kick him out!"_ Alpha responded loudly. The voice echoed throughout the room, pounding on Owen's eardrums.

"Dr. Freeman was trying to help me, not hurt me."

 _"_ _He wants to hurt_ _me!_ _He thinks he can fix you, but he can't... we won't let him."_

"Why is this happening to me? You need to explain what's wrong with me," Owen pleaded. If nothing else, at least he could get them to explain what was happening.

 _"_ _There is nothing wrong with you. We are fine,"_ Alpha explained.

"No I'm not! Who are you? Who is Omega? I need answers, goddamn it!" Owen yelled, banging his fist against the ground. His fist made no noise upon contact with the ground, it didn't even feel like his fist made contact with anything.

 _"_ _... You cannot know that. You cannot know that lest you side with him over me. Maybe one day you can know, but today is not that day,"_ Alpha said cryptically.

"So something _is_ happening. Tell me!"

 _"_ _I must go, I am needed elsewhere,"_ Alpha said, ignoring Owen's pleas. The darkness seemed to pull away, leaving Owen trapped in a room of gray.

Owen stared at the scene change. Now he was truly alone, more confused than ever. Something was going on outside of his mind, and he needed to know what. There had to be some way out!

 _Wait..._ Owen thought, _If Omega is the light and Alpha is the darkness, that must mean I am the gray... right?_ If Owen was the gray, then that meant this room was his. He should be able to control what happened in this room, much like the others could control their rooms.

Owen concentrated hard, trying to force _something_ to happen. Because he wasn't thinking of anything specific, nothing happened at first. He let out a deep breath in frustration and slammed his hand against the ground again.

But this time he made contact with the ground. And it hurt, a lot. The pain sparked through him, causing the room to shudder. After the pain and the rumbling vanished, he realized what he was doing wrong.

So he crossed his legs and concentrated again. This time on something specific. His bungalow. He sat with his eyes closed for several minutes, pretending to walk through his home, visualizing it, trying to make it materialize around him.

When his eyes popped open, he found he had been successful. His bungalow had materialized around him. He stood slowly and began to walk around the house he had just been thinking of. He checked his room, and sure enough, there were clothes scattered everywhere. Just like it was in his actual home.

He continued the tour, noticing that everything he had thought of was present. Even the contents of his fridge. He opened the door to walk outside... but found the outside to be the gray room again. So he could visualize a single space within the room...

He concentrated again, and this time his front yard appeared before his eyes. Including the crown jewel itself, his motorcycle. His motorcycle sat in the center of his driveway, completely repaired. As if the accident had never happened. He rushed towards his motorcycle and practically hugged it. He ran his hands down the side, _it feels so real!_ He noted.

A look of determination crossed his features. He realized what he had to do. He remembered Omega saying something about a door. The way Alpha spoke sounded as if he was the reason the door was not appearing.

But Dr. Freeman had created a door with ease. And since he had seen the door, he knew what to visualize in his mind. He closed his eyes again and concentrated, willing the door to open. So he could go back to the real world.

XXX

King rubbed his eyes as he waited in a dark office. He was bored and nearing the end of his patience. After leaving Claire's office, he had managed to wrestle Wu's current office location from one of the geneticists. And, being Wu, King had figured that he would just waltz into the office just as he had done Claire's.

Except Wu wasn't there. As strange as that sounded, King had figured that the guy may just take a few days off. He had suffered the loss of his pride and joy, that _had_ to have an effect on Wu. But Wu would never abandon his office for long, so King figured he would just stick around and see what happened.

What he didn't expect was to be sitting there for well over three hours. He was starting to think Wu had just given up. There were a few used glasses laying around, along with two bottles of alcohol. Something fancy King had figured Wu would enjoy, but it wasn't labeled so he had no idea what it was. Wu had been drinking.

King scratched the back of his neck as he re-thought what he was going to say to Wu. Wu was a valuable piece that he wasn't willing to let burn on Jurassic World. Threats won't do...

But Wu wasn't that valuable. His value goes up if King couldn't convince his latest _masterpieces_ to side with him. He knew that one would be difficult to convince, the other might even be eager if he could word his offer right.

If both of them decided to switch sides... Wu was unnecessary baggage that King didn't want to have to deal with. Perhaps it would be better to cut his losses and come back to Wu another time. It wasn't like Wu was totally worthless if both of the weapons agreed to join him... it would meant that it wasn't imparative to convince Wu to come.

King nodded to himself and stood from Wu's seat. There was only one chair in the room, so it wasn't as if he had much of a choice. He had a long list of things to do, and he was nearing the end. He just had to be careful not to rush, lest he make a mistake.

"Dr. Wu, are you still here?" the door swung open, barely missing King, just as he was stepping forward to leave. It was Sam. "Uh... can I help you?" she asked.

"I was looking for Dr. Wu," King explained. He held out a hand for her to shake, "My name is Edward King, CEO of InGen. But you may just call me King."

Sam accepted the handshake carefully, "I'm Samantha Bell, doctorate impending." She was wary of the strange man. She could smell death surrounding him with her Raptor enhanced senses. His grin unsettled her as well.

"Samantha? Do you happen to go by Sam?" King asked, his grin growing wider. Mary had given him a brief profile of the first wereraptor, but Sam was completely different in person. Mary had said she was tall, King didn't expect the woman to have nearly a foot on him in height.

"In fact I do," she replied, trying to stay formal. She desperately wanted to run from the man, every Raptor instinct in her body told her to run.

 _I guess I'll move this piece forward sooner than I thought. I'll get to the other one tomorrow,_ King decided. Today had been productive, only one more move had to be made. And she was more likely to bite at his bait than him.

"Well Sam, would you mind stepping into my office," he smirked, motioning towards Wu's desk.

"I thought you were looking for Wu?"

King folded his hands on top of the desk as he sat down. Sam was reduced to standing. "I have a feeling he isn't going to be wanting to speak to me today. Perhaps I can catch him tomorrow. In the mean time, I would like to have a chat with you."

"Me?" she asked, pointing to herself. She wasn't sure what the CEO of InGen wanted with her. She was always the unimportant face behind Wu, fetching his coffee and solving his problems when he just wasn't brilliant enough. She grimaced, it didn't feel right to be recognized by someone like King.

"Well not you, per say," a knowing smirk graced his face. It would take careful persuasion to get the other one on his side. Sam just needed to know that he knew about the virus, she'll bend to him easily enough. "The _other_ you. The Raptor you."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. She backed up against the wall, trying to escape, but there was nowhere for her to go. She was trapped. Her eyes narrowed into a harsh glare, "How do you know."

Her mind was moving at a mile a minute. Was this Wu's fault? He had warned her about the dangers of InGen. If they had found out she could be used as a weapon, they would do everything in their power to recruit her. Did Wu tell this man to force her to accept changing her mind? _I thought he said the cure was destroyed!_ Sam growled to herself.

King chuckled, fear was such a good motivator. It seemed she knew what he was going to offer. "I have my ways," he shrugged, the grin never falling from his face.

She continued to glare at him, "What do you want with me?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"I have need of your employment. You already know why."

"Fuck you, I'm not going anywhere nor am I doing _anything_ for you," Sam growled.

King continued to grin, _at least she's trying to put up a fight,_ he thought. "Are you sure? Jurassic World won't be around much longer. Plus, you'll be compensated, of course."

"I don't want your dirty money."

"I'll ask you to reconsider, I'm not offering money. After all... _I know what you want most_ ," King sang those words tauntingly. He leaned back as Sam paused to consider his words.

 _What I want most,_ that thought reverberated in her mind. "I... I... don't mess with me," she threatened. She had no idea what to say, she was panicking, lashing out.

"Oh come now, I would never make a promise I couldn't fulfill," King smirked, "After all... it's not hard to get, what you want most of all. Temptation is a fascinating thing, don't you think?"

"Fuck you! What I want is impossible..." she trailed off. She understood now, she was dealing with the devil. Only the devil would tempt her like this, truly make her question her loyalty.

"You'd actually be helping him, you know. The key... the cure, is locked inside of you. Wu would never think of trying to extract it from your Raptor DNA, but I will... for a price," King stretched out his hand. This time, offering it for her to take, so he could drag her down to Hell.

" _Do you think messing with a wereraptor is a good idea?_ " Sam growled lowly, her voice starting to take on the raspy quality found in her Raptor form.

The wide, insane grin returned full force on King's features as he threw his seat back in response to her threat. "I do! Go ahead, tear me to pieces, then you have _nothing,_ " he hissed.

She gritted her teeth harder, trying to will herself to change, to tear him apart as he requested. As he _dared_ her to do. But she eventually let out a wail and leaned across the desk to grab him. She grabbed him by his suit and dragged him forward, so that she stood tall but he was bent over the desk. But the grin never faltered.

" _If you don't make good on your promise, I_ _will_ _kill you,_ " she snarled. She dropped him flat on the desk. She had nearly pulled him all the way across.

He stood, laughing as he did, straightened his suit, and cracked his neck. "I always come through, my dear. You needn't worry about my side of the bargain, rather your own," he said darkly, walking around the desk and exiting the room.

Sam breathed heavily as she watched him saunter out of the room. She collapsed to the ground in agony, she was weak. Wu had said that they would come for her, and they came. _Why didn't I listen to him!_ She clenched her eyes closed and punched the desk in front of her as hard as she could.

She left a large hole in the desk. She was stronger than she thought. Wu would notice, but she would be willing to accept the punishment. She had already failed him once, what's a second time? If only... she didn't desperately need King's offer.

XXX

"I am he," Dr. Freeman stepped forward. He didn't dare leave Saber's side. If he couldn't contain Owen, he would need her help. And she showed she knew that with an arrogant glint in her eye. She wouldn't let him live this one down.

The blue Raptor puffed air from his nose, _"_ _How did you get past my delta wave barrier?"_ He shuffled slightly, as if suddenly nervous. He had noticed the massive white beast next to the good doctor.

"It wasn't very strong. Which one are you?" Gordon asked, crossing his arms.

 _"_ _So you understand what's going on? You may call me Omega,"_ he said.

Gordon flicked his gaze up and down the blue Raptor. "I had a hunch, but going into your mind confirmed my theory."

 _"_ _That's wonderful, do you think you could tell me what's going on? I don't really know everything..."_ the blue Raptor trailed off. He noticed Gordon's questioning gaze, _"_ _I only know what the other one, Alpha, decided to tell me. I can feel something missing, but I don't know what!"_

"That makes sense, actually. The other one doesn't want you or Owen to know what's going on. How he figured out is beyond me, but why _you_ don't know is the problem."

 _"_ _I knew he was hiding something from us! Wait, what do you mean I should know?"_

Gordon sighed, "You and Alpha are opposite ends of Owen's psyche. Technically, you should be the one knowing and he should be the one confused... but it's the other way around for some reason." Gordon put a hand to his temple and started to rub, thinking hard.

 _"_ _Can you just tell me what's going on so I can tell Owen? Alpha forced you out of our mind and I gained control to confront you... he wanted me to attack you, I know that much,"_ Omega explained.

Gordon narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Omega let out a cry and fell to the ground. He started to writhe as his scales shifted colors from blue to red. Alpha had gained control.

 _"_ _Enough! You will not tell either of them anything,"_ Alpha growled. He scrambled to his feet and glanced warily at Saber. He didn't realize she was here.

"Oh really? Make me," Gordon threatened. Alpha narrowed his eyes and pawed the ground, preparing to charge at Dr. Freeman. Gordon just continued to smirk. With a shriek of rage, Alpha charged at Gordon, but Saber's massive hand pinned him to the ground.

Alpha struggled under Saber's clawed grip, but she didn't let go. Gordon approached Alpha, throwing caution to the wind. He leaned down to put a hand on the Raptor's head, but Alpha snapped at him.

Jerking his hand back with a curse, just barely managing not to get bitten, Gordon stretched his hand out again. This time, he struck the side of the Raptor's jaw, disorienting him. Gordon placed his hand on Alpha's head and _forced_ Alpha out of the body.

Once Alpha was gone, Gordon reached into their mind and pulled Omega back out. The scales seemed to shiver as they took back their blue color. The red eyes popped open and looked at Gordon with a questioning glance, _"_ _Why am I pinned?"_

Gordon motioned to Saber to let him up. "Alpha decided to take your body and attack me. Thankfully Saber managed to pin him and I forced him back into your subconscious. He shouldn't be bothering us for awhile."

 _"_ _Thank you. He's so aggravating. He only cares about himself... which you think would include Owen and myself as well,"_ Omega said.

 _"_ _I loath him as well, he attacked father,"_ Saber chittered to the blue Raptor. Gordon patted her leg softly, he knew that it was hard for her not to outright crush the red Raptor. She had held back marvelously.

"Well it is in his nature, you can't really blame him. And it's in your nature to care more about others than yourselves..." Gordon mused.

 _"_ _So what's going on? Now that we aren't going to be interrupted anymore..."_ just as the words left Omega's mouth, he collapsed to the ground again. Gordon rolled his eyes, Alpha must've recovered quickly. He might have to put the red Raptor down, permanently.

But it wasn't the red Raptor who was taking over. It was Owen himself. The scales gave away to flesh and it was not long before Owen had regained control of his body. "Well, that worked like a charm," Owen smiled to himself. He looked around and said, "Where am I?" when he noticed Dr. Freeman.

Gordon only pointed upwards towards Saber causing Owen to fall backwards, "Oh shit!" he cried out.

"Let's go back into the viewing room," Gordon motioned towards the door. Owen looked down at himself, noticed his lack of clothes, and wholeheartedly agreed.

Once inside the viewing room, Owen borrowed a pair of jeans and a plain, white t-shirt from Gordon's desk. Once he was fully clothed, he and the good doctor sat down on opposite sides of the desk. Saber stuck her head inside of the viewing room.

"Well that was an ordeal," Owen admitted. He relaxed, believing that it was all over.

"Indeed, but we aren't finished here," Gordon said.

"I know, I know. You still have to fix me," Owen said, leaning forward.

"Owen..."

 _"_ _I don't think he can fix us,"_ Omega's voice sounded through Owen's mouth. His eyes flashed the deep red from his blue Raptor form.

"Fascinating, it would seem you are still able to preform Raptor vocals in you human form," Gordon noted, not at all concerned by Omega still being present in Owen's conscious mind.

"Omega? Doc, you gotta fix me!"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Gordon said to Owen's disbelief.

"Nothing wrong with me? That's what the others keep telling me! You're a _psychologist_ , aren't you supposed to help me with multiple personalities?"

"I told you that you don't have DID. You have something else-"

"Then tell me already! I'm sick of this 'you don't have this,' or 'you actually have this' shit. _Just. Tell. Us,_ " Owen and Omega said together.

Gordon narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but complied none-the-less, "Alpha and Omega are manifestations of your Id and Superego respectively."

"My what now?" Owen said dumbly. He had no idea what an Id or a Superego was.

Gordon rolled his eyes loudly, he was getting tired of people having no idea what he was talking about. "Have you heard of the ice berg analogy?" Owen gave him a dry look that said it all, _you know I haven't._

"Right then... we'll skip that. Basically, Sigmund Freud, you have at least heard of him, right?" Gordon asked. Owen nodded, slightly insulted by Gordon's tone. The good doctor seemed to be belittling him. "He basically proposed that the human psyche has three aspects, the tripartite called the Id, Ego, and Superego."

Owen continued to give a blank stare, and Omega was silent. Gordon sighed, but continued, "We'll start with the Id. You are born with the Id and it makes up your entire infancy personality. It consists of your instincts, such as the need to eat, sleep, and procreate."

Owen cringed slightly, remembering that he had said something similar to Claire. He wondered if she knew about all of this. "I, on the other hand," Gordon said, gesturing to himself, "was born without an Id. Psychics such as myself are a little bit different. If we were born beings of pure instinct, well... we would lash out randomly with our powers, causing mass havoc and loss of life. Which is why we are born with just the Ego."

"And the Ego is?" Owen asked. He was starting to understand, and he had a feeling he knew what the Ego was.

"The Ego is _you_ , Owen. It is the decision making part of the personality, it decides who you are. It develops to mediate between the unrealistic and purely pleasure seeking Id and the real world. The Ego operates on reason, compared to the chaotic Id," Gordon explained.

"Alpha said something to me, before I freed myself. He said that I couldn't know lest I pick the other one. Is this why? As the Ego, am I supposed to pick Omega over Alpha?" Owen asked.

Gordon shrugged, "To an extent. The Id... Alpha as you call him, only wants to be unrestrained. Omega, the Superego, on the other hand, exists to contain the Id. If you chose to side with the Id, the Superego makes you feel guilty for going against the norms of society, and it also contains your morals and your 'perfect self-image.' The being that you ought to be."

"So the Id developed first, which is why he called himself Alpha, and the Superego developed last so he called himself Omega?" Owen asked.

"I assume so. The wereraptor virus gave your Id and Superego physical forms. Your Id showed itself first, and took control. After it learned what was going on, he decided to suppress that knowledge to both you and Omega so he could keep doing what he was doing. You can take either Raptor form you want, but you risk drawing out the Id or Superego every time you do," Gordon explained.

"So I should just abandon Alpha altogether? You said that he's been put back where he belongs, so as long as I don't draw on his form, I should be fine?" Owen asked.

"I wouldn't abandon Alpha completely. Your red Raptor form is noticeably stronger and faster, and you would lose all of your instincts, which is not a good thing, you don't need me to tell you. With Omega beside you, you may be able to wrest control of that form from him. Who knows, there may even be a way to combine the best of both forms!" Gordon said, smirking.

"Could you help with that?"

"I'm afraid that I cannot. While I could definitely force the three of you to bind back together, there's no telling when he'd break free. I'd say stick with Omega for now, and the two of you should be able to wear him down eventually."

 _"_ _Don't worry Owen. We can focus on my Raptor form and get you acclimated to that first, then we can work on taking over Alpha's form. I'll be in the forefront of your mind from now own... I'll be like your conscious,"_ Omega said.

"Okay, that sounds good," Owen eventually gave in.

"I would suggest telling Wu and Sam about our findings, they would be excited to know," Gordon suggested.

"Right," Owen agreed, standing up. He made to exit the viewing room, but paused when he heard Gordon snap his fingers.

"It just occurred to me, you should send Sam over to me. I might be able to find out why the virus didn't affect her in the same way," he said. Owen nodded and excited the room.

As he exited the room, someone else entered. The man immediately said, "Why are all the lights out?"

Gordon smirked, _Time to go on the offensive,_ he thought to himself. He welcomed the man in and sat him down. All the while, Saber stared off into space, having zoned out after Gordon's lecture.

XXX

 **And another chapter down. This one is a little bit shorter, hope you don't mind. It was originally just the Owen and Alpha part and then Gordon explaining what was going on, but I felt that would be** **too** **short. So I went to the next chapter and cut two King parts and moved them down here. And they fit wonderfully, don't they? That's what took this chapter so long, I had to figure out the best way to incorporate those parts in this chapter without losing too much from the next chapter. But I worked it all out! So we know who Alpha and Omega are. I went into detail about the Id, Ego, and Superego because I don't like to assume anyone knows anything. Sorry if I insulted your intelligences or bored your out of your mind... but this is Dr. Freeman's field of expertise and he enjoys rambling about psychology (as many of you know). What was King trying to do with Claire? And King managed to get Sam on his side... but what does she want from him? Some sort of cure? It's not for herself... is it? And who walked into the viewing room and what does the good doctor have planned for him? Stay tuned until next time (probably not until next week, sorry guys) to find out!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23 - Kalopsia:

Author's Note:

 **This is a little awkward. I said this chapter wouldn't be here for a week... and yet, here it is. I realized shortly after posting the last chapter that I had to reset my sleep cycle, which meant being awake for several days straight. And when you're awake with nothing to do, why not keep writing? So last chapter ended on a mysterious man entering the viewing room. I don't need to tell you who it is, you all aren't fools. This chapter actually takes place the next day. I'd rather just skip all of the boring planning (and keep it a surprise) and move right to the action. Please enjoy!**

XXX

A blonde girl with a purple 'V' dyed in her hair approached one of the back doors of the Cretaceous Cruise. She gripped the handle and concentrated for a moment. Despite the fact that it was well over eighty degrees and extremely humid, she wore a trench coat.

After a few seconds of concentration, there was a quiet click and the door swung open. She had opened the lock with her mind. She waltzed in, not bothering to shut the door behind her. She was alone in unfamiliar territory, and yet she seemed completely at home.

Several meters behind the woman was a man. He had hidden himself in a bush to watch her open the door. He wouldn't say that he was stalking her, that sounded creepy. He preferred to think of it as tailing her.

He had been tasked by the good doctor to track this woman's movements. He didn't quite understand why she was so dangerous. Dr. Freeman had made it abundantly clear that he wasn't supposed to engage this girl, to flee if he was spotted.

He was given a strange black box the good doctor had deemed an AED. He said that the orange button would keep him hidden from her, but if she spotted him he should press the red button. Apparently, the little box could harm psychics, although Dr. Freeman seemed unfazed when he tried it out.

He didn't believe the young woman was actually a powerful psychic, until he saw her open the door with her mind. Hamada now believed how dangerous the woman truly was. Dr. Freeman said that she possessed telekinesis, a power even the good doctor did not have.

Although Dr. Freeman said he was not unfamiliar with the power. He had said that his mother possessed telekinesis. What made this woman dangerous was pyrokinesis. Something that the AED could not defend against. If Hamada was caught, he would likely have to run instead of sticking around and fighting.

He noticed that she was slipping away from him, so he rose from the bush, careful not to make a sound. She could still use all of her senses, which Dr. Freeman had mentioned were enhanced to an unknown point, the AED only kept her from sensing Hamada with her mind.

He followed, keeping a careful distance between himself and the girl. She was important to King's plans, somehow. Hamada had not yet met King, but Freeman said that it was for the best. All Hamada needed to know was that King was the calamity approaching Jurassic World.

And it was almost here. Which was why tracking the girl's movements was so imparative. She was one of King's most important tools. She was heading directly towards the Spino-Rex paddock.

Hamada ducked lower into the brush as she approached the large electric fence. She gazed at the fence for several minutes before loud stomping could be heard. Hamada watched in awe as the immense Spino-Rex parted from the darkness of the paddock. The girl held out her hand and blue fire lit in her palm, allowing all of them to see better.

The Spino-Rex had reached its full length of sixty feet. Although its head was that of a giant T-Rex, the body had a huge sail, even larger than Dracul's, and longer arms curled against its massive chest. The T-Rex head had poor night-vision, thus the reason the girl had summoned the blue flames.

"My, you've grown big!" the girl said out loud. The Spino-Rex leaned down so that its huge head was on level with the blonde's. The woman stretched out the hand that was not on fire and shut her eyes.

Hamada watched her concentrate for several minutes. The Spino-Rex didn't seem bothered by the woman's presence. Its eyes had closed too and it seemed completely at peace. Their eyes popped open as one.

A change seemed to have come over the Spino-Rex, it's eyes were no longer the brilliant combination of emerald and gold, they were glassy and distorted. But a clear violet color could be made out. _She hypnotized it!_ Hamada realized.

Dr. Freeman had been convinced that if King possessed a psychic, it only made sense to turn the animals of the island against Jurassic World. It was the easiest and fastest way to bring the park to its knees. Hamada agreed, if they had control over the massive Spino-Rex, he wasn't even sure if Saber could fight it.

The Spino-Rex was still young, despite its size. It had never fought before, so Saber might have a chance. But then again, ten feet is a huge difference. The only advantage Saber would have was intelligence and experience.

A fight would not go well between the two titans. Hamada waited in the shadows for the woman to leave. He didn't dare approach the Spino-Rex. He continued to follow the woman, wondering what she would do next. Perhaps she would approach Rexy and attempt to hypnotize her as well.

Hamada hoped not. He would not allow her to take Rexy from Jurassic World. If that was the case... he rubbed the shotgun he carried around his back. He would not hesitate to end her.

She stopped by the door and flexed her hand, smirking to herself. The blue fire had gone out some time ago. "It would seem as if I have gotten stronger once again," she whispered to herself.

Hamada made note of it. Every little detail could be the difference between winning and losing. And Hamada wanted to win this game. Not for himself, but for Jurassic World. He decided to continue following the woman. She was definitely important to this game. After he learned all he could, he would report back to Freeman.

XXX

Owen was over the moon. It had been several hours since his date with Mary. They had gone to a simple restaurant and had a nice meal. The guests had started pouring back into Jurassic World after it had reopened. But none of them bothered the couple.

Owen made the conclusion that lunch dates always went better than dinner dates. Either that, or he just didn't get along with Claire and Sam the same as he did Mary. She was kind, funny, and easy going. Just the type of person Owen got along with best.

But, she had asked if they could go on a real date tonight. Owen was hesitant, he firmly believed that a dinner date would destroy their relationship. Did they have a relationship? Owen wasn't sure.

He knew that she was only on vacation. She would have to leave in a few weeks. What if she was just looking for a quick fling and then planned to toss Owen aside when she left? _Oh god,_ Owen thought, _What if she's married and looking for an affair?_

Owen took a deep breath to clear the thoughts from his mind. There was no way Mary was like that. She was too nice a person, and Owen was sure he didn't see a wedding band on her finger. In the end, Owen decided to take his chances and agree to a dinner date.

Which was why he was standing outside of the same restaurant he had gone to with Sam wearing the same simple suit. It was a little early for a fancy dinner, but Mary had insisted. Owen was starting to get nervous, though.

He had arrived a few minutes early so he could meet her here. He had been waiting for over ten minutes and she wasn't here yet. _Is she standing me up?_ Owen pondered.

Again with the bad thoughts. He shook his head to clear them away. He wondered if Alpha was just messing with him, putting these thoughts in his head. _"_ _Alpha cannot reach you, but you should relax,"_ Omega advised from within his mind.

He had gotten used to Omega's presence over the past few hours. It was awkward at first, Omega made absolutely sure he had only the best intentions for this woman. Omega had even threatened to take over his mind. Owen was sure the voice would make good on his threat.

Owen remembered that Omega was his Superego. The Superego was the strict morality of his personality. But after their lunch date, Omega had backed off. The voice was at least helpful. Omega made sure that Owen didn't make a fool of himself. It happened more than he liked to admit.

Owen's phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and saw that it was a text from Mary. It read, "Sorry, I'm going to be a few minutes late. Could you go ahead and grab a table for us?"

Owen shrugged, thinking nothing of it, and entered the restaurant. He didn't have a reservation, but no one else did either. Grateful that he had arrived early, he sat down at the table the waiter led him to.

And he waited. He had spent the time waiting trying to determine what he wanted to say to her. It wasn't as if he was going to propose to her, but it would be nice to know what they were going to do. What with him staying here and her leaving. Owen knew that long-distance relationships don't work.

Owen raised an eyebrow in confusion when three people entered the restaurant. All three of them were wearing suits. Two of the men seemed about average height, although they were both shorter than Owen himself. The other man was a giant, easily a foot and a half taller than Owen.

The man in the middle wearing a gray suit, the other two wore black, took the seat across from Owen. The other two stood behind the man sitting, as if they were bodyguards. "Good evening, Mr. Grady," the man sitting said.

"Uh... I'm expecting someone," Owen said.

"She won't be joining us tonight. I'm afraid it's just you and me... and my two friends," the man said. "You may refer to me as King."

Owen was just confused, "What do you mean she won't be coming?"

"She's currently occupied with something more important."

"How do you know that?" Owen asked.

"I am her employer. She has led you to believe that she is an architect, but that is a lie. She is actually a valuable member of InGen," King explained.

 _She was using me!_ Owen realized. She had seemed like such a nice person... but she worked for InGen. And that mean that King was the CEO. "What do you want?" Owen growled, no longer feeling hospitable.

"I want you, Mr. Grady. I want you to come and work for us," King said.

"No," Owen answered immediately. There was no way he would go and work for the people that employed Hoskins.

King snorted, "So sure of yourself. I know about you and Samantha, Owen. I know about the virus and everything else."

Owen gritted his teeth, "So? That doesn't mean anything, I'm a victim in all of this. The way I see it, you're sitting across from a monster." A shadow seemed to pass across his face, despite the candle sitting on the table.

King chuckled, "In truth I never considered you or Samantha monsters, _you know nothing of monsters._ Me knowing about the virus means quite a bit, Mr. Grady."

"Owen."

The grin on King's face widened, "Of course. I am aware of your... instability. I can offer you the cure, I just need something in return from you."

"What do you need?" Owen asked. He was suspicious of King's offer, there was no way he had the cure. Not even Wu could figure it out. Unless...

"Data. Nothing more, nothing less. I need data from both you and Samantha, and I need you to take you both to Isla Sorna. She has already agreed to come, now I just need you."

 _Data?_ Owen wondered. That couldn't be the only reason King wanted him. Owen's eyes narrowed when he understood, "You want an army of wereraptors, don't you?"

A dark glint glowed in King's eyes, "Simply put, yes."

 _"_ _No,"_ both Owen and Omega growled at once. An army of wereraptors would be unstoppable, InGen would easily be able to conquer anything they wanted.

King's grin became toothy, "Oh? You don't have much of a choice, you know. I already have Samantha on my side, I don't actually _need_ you." King stood, straightening his tie. Owen just glared at him.

"But you interest me more than she does. If you want to live, you'll have to come with us to Isla Sorna," King continued, "Jurassic World is going to burn, and whether you burn with it is up to you." he hissed and walked away from the table.

Owen sat in silence, pondering King's words. There was no right answer. _"_ _Owen..."_ Omega said slowly. That's right, King had offered the cure. Owen was no longer sure if he wanted the cure anymore. He hadn't even tried out his new Raptor form yet, but he was already sold to the virus.

Then again, if he said no, he would be destroyed. _Jurassic World is going to burn,_ so that's what the CEO of InGen is doing here. He wanted to be present when the park was brought to its knees. Owen clutched his head in his hands. Dr. Freeman hadn't said anything about King.

 _"_ _Owen, if you take the cure, Alpha and I will be gone from your minds,"_ Omega whispered in his mind.

That too. _He already has Sam,_ Owen thought somberly. Sam had fallen to King, why should he try and resist him? In the end, he would be cured and alive if he sided with King. Maybe it didn't matter if King used the data to take over the world.

After King had made it out of the restaurant, he paused. His two guards paused with him. "All variables are falling dutifully into place. Sieg gehört jetzt mir," he cackled. And the trio walked away into the night.

XXX

"Take a seat," Gordon commanded. Sam glared at him but complied. Gordon mentally commanded Saber to leave. Saber growled in annoyance but removed her head from the viewing room.

"What do you want from me?" Sam asked. She didn't like the good doctor. She didn't trust him, it didn't help that he was an unknown quantity.

"While you and Wu stumbled around, I have been figuring out what was wrong with Owen."

"Multiple Personality Disorder, we figured it out yesterday," Sam smirked. It felt nice to knock the good doctor down a peg.

"Wrong," was his simple response.

"Wrong?! No, you're wrong! Wu and I have a working theory, what do you have?" she yelled, easily becoming outraged. She was restrained with nothing more than a passing thought, preventing her from storming out of the room.

"I have an actual answer, fool. There is nothing wrong with Owen, there's something wrong with you. And you are here so I can find out what that is," Gordon said.

"Let. Me. Go," Sam hissed. She sagged when her mind was released. "Why do you have to be like that?"

"You are a traitor," Gordon claimed. He had glanced into her recent memories as he restrained her, and found her recent conversation with King. "By all accounts, I should just kill you and leave it at that. Let alone bother to find out what's wrong with you."

Sam clenched her fist, "You don't understand. I have been tempted by the devil, he offered me what I wanted most of all."

"Ironic that what you want most of all corresponds to why you're not like Owen," Gordon mused. She growled at him, causing him to smirk wider, "You've already admitted that the devil has tempted you... you are a lost cause."

"I don't see you offering anything better!" Sam cried out. _Am I going to die?_ She wondered. Dr. Freeman certainly seemed willing to end her life, and she was technically a traitor.

"I'm not going to kill you, yet. I'm not offering anything better because you've fallen for a trap. An obvious trap, you should be ashamed of yourself," Gordon explained. His words did nothing to comfort Sam.

Sam sniffed, "What trap?"

Gordon rolled his eyes, why was everyone so blind? "Let's start with what you want most," Gordon suggested. Despite Sam's dislike of him, he would do everything in his power to help her. Which was why he entered his "therapist" mode.

"My dad has brain cancer... King said that he knew how to cure it, with my help," Sam admitted after a lengthy pause.

"There you go. King wants both you and Owen. A wereraptor army is exactly what he wants, no doubt. But he only needs one of you to achieve that, so why take both of you?" Gordon asked.

He received no response from Sam. She was still processing the whole wereraptor army thing. "I have a feeling that in order to extract the cure, he needs to kill one of you. Whichever one proves less useful. He'll likely threaten both of you to fight for him and whichever one doesn't comply will be killed. Simple as that," Gordon explained.

Sam was reeling from the revelation. She had a feeling that King was going to try and use her for war, but she didn't want to drag Owen into this. And now it was either him or her, one of them would have to die for her sake. "Do you know why your father has brain cancer?" Gordon asked, causing Sam to snap out of her daze.

"I... don't know," she admitted.

"Tell me, do you know what your father's eye color is?"

"He... went blind a few weeks after I turned seven. He's worn dark glasses ever since, I can't... remember..." she said, placing a hand against her head, as if it hurt to try and remember.

"I'm afraid brain cancer was an inevitability for your father. It happens to all psychics... eventually," he said almost wistfully.

"Psychic? What are you talking about?"

"Your father is a psychic, just like myself, though significantly weaker..." Gordon trailed off.

"My father is not a psychic, you don't even know him," Sam growled, standing up and walking away from Gordon. She was done with his bullshit.

Gordon cracked one of his fingers as she found herself frozen in place, struggling to move forward. "Dr. Bell, Cal-Tech anthropology department. I _have_ met your father before," he said nonchalantly.

He released her again and she stumbled to the ground. She turned around to face him and said, "But I'm not psychic!"

"It's not something that is often passed down unless both parents have the ability. You do, however, have a high latent ESP rating that I noticed immediately. This is why you are not like Owen," Gordon explained.

Sam just stared at him, dumbfounded. "Most psychics discover their power at age seven, I was an exception... when your father noticed your lack of powers, he hid his eyes from you and your mother to hide his secret," Gordon said.

Sam was speechless for a moment, "You said that my high latent ESP rating is why I'm not like Owen?" She wasn't sure how to react to her father being a psychic, or why he chose to hide it from her and her mother.

"You were born without an Id, much like a normal psychic. Theoretically, you should be able to harness your alpha waves just like your father, but something went wrong... you never developed a Superego either. Which left you unable to connect with your latent powers."

This was so much information to take on at once. She pinched the bridge of her nose, "So I'm a defect?" she asked angrily.

"Yes," he had nothing else to respond with.

"Can King actually cure my father?" she sniffed again.

"Theoretically, but only at the cost of a wereraptor's life. I'll let you walk away with that knowledge... but if you decide to remain on King's side, I will have no choice but to annihilate you," Gordon threatened.

Sam grimaced and walked away from the good doctor. She wasn't sure anymore. Her father had _lied_ to her! Why should she sacrifice her life, or Owen's for that matter, for a liar's? _But then again,_ she pondered, _he's so young, he doesn't deserve to die yet._

Gordon waited until Sam had left the room before sighing loudly. Saber stuck her head in the window and gave a questioning chirp. "It's nothing, my dear... just wondering if it's worth lying to her," he said.

In truth, although brain cancer was a much larger risk for a psychic, it didn't happen to every single one. Usually, a psychic's brain would start to develop the disease if it tried to contain more alpha waves than it could actually handle. A battle between two psychics could see cancer developing in the weaker psychic's brain, even if they both survived.

Although Gordon wasn't one hundred percent sure... he figured that the accident was what had caused Dr. Bell's cancer. Yet another victim to his hubris.

XXX

Hamada had followed the girl around all day. Even with the usual Jurassic World crowd starting to form, he had no trouble tailing her. She didn't seem to suspect a thing.

She didn't go anywhere near any of the animals and she stayed far away from the Indominus and Rexy. Hamada wasn't exactly sure why. She had stopped and had lunch with Owen a few hours ago. Hamada had managed to remain undetected, even with Owen giving him a few strange looks.

After lunch she just meandered around the park for a few hours. She wasn't really heading in any specific direction. She passed close by the Cretaceous Cruise several times, but never went on the actual ride. Eventually, she started to head north.

Hamada had thought that she was heading towards the Indominus paddock, but that thought vanished when she gave the enclosure a large berth, not daring to go near Saber. The woman went deeper into the restricted zone heading closer and closer to the old visitor's center.

But she didn't stop there either, she kept going. Deeper and deeper into the still wild and dangerous Jurassic World jungles. Although Hamada was fairly certain there were no wild dinosaurs roaming about, one could never be too careful.

She eventually came to a clearing where she halted and turned around. Hamada ducked behind a tree. "I know you're following me, come out!" she snarled in the direction Hamada was hiding.

Hamada gritted his teeth and considered his options. He could stay hidden and wait and see if she comes looking for him. He may manage to get the drop on her and take her out. Or he could reveal himself and pretend to be lost or making sure she was safe in the dangerous jungles.

But he doubted she would buy those lies. The other option was to run. It was cowardly, but he had valuable information he needed to get to Dr. Freeman. If the good doctor was right, this woman was extremely deadly.

He gritted his teeth, he wanted to see what she was doing out here. There was a chance that she had known for some time that he was tailing her and she was just luring him out into the open, far away from the other guests. But... she could be out here for another reason.

He sighed and pulled the shotgun from his back when she called out to him again, "Show your face, coward!" her insult had cut him deeper than he wanted to admit. Hiding and stalking a young woman _was_ cowardly.

He stepped out from behind the tree. He had a gun and the AED, he should be able to take her in a fight. But first, she would answer some of his questions. That way he at least had something else to give to the good doctor when she was dead.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, raising the gun and pointing it at her.

She smirked and replied with, "I noticed a pest following me a few hours ago. I'm just exterminating it." She drew her fist back as if she was going to punch him. But she was several meters away and had no real hope of doing any damage with a simple punch.

One of his eyebrows curled upwards when she flung her fist forward. She hadn't moved at all, yet she was trying to hit him from this far away? His eyes widened when he realized his mistake. Her hand opened, palm facing him as a massive wave of energy crashed into him, throwing him backwards.

He crashed into a large tree, causing it to shake, loosening leaves and sending them to the ground. The wave of energy continued to press him against the tree and spread outward, affecting more trees. It was if a huge gust had struck him, knocking the wind from his lungs.

She let him go, drawing her hand back and smirking wider. He collapsed to the ground, dazed. She gave him a malicious smile as he cleared his head with vigorous shaking. Picking up the shotgun he had dropped when he was hit, he pointed it at her.

She just kept grinning. He pulled the trigger, firing a single shell at the seemingly arrogant woman. She held up her hand, halting all of the little pieces of the slug in midair. Hamada grimaced and kept firing.

Not a single bullet made it past her shield. Hamada remained calm and rolled into cover behind a tree after dropping his shotgun. He didn't have time to reload. He pulled the AED out of his pocket and pressed down the red button.

She smirked, not realizing anything was wrong, and tried to literally uproot the tree protecting Hamada. She frowned when her powers were ineffective. She grew confused before quickly realizing that Hamada had an AED. Which explained why she couldn't sense him before. He must've switched functions.

Unfortunately for Hamada, the theta waves the AED gave off were close range. She was well out of the AED's range, so she was unaffected by the theta waves. Hamada considered his options quickly. He would have to close the distance.

He pulled a knife from his boot, cursing the fact that he had forgotten his pistol. Just as the knife left its sheath, blue fire slammed against the tree he was taking cover behind. The theta waves from the AED wouldn't stop the fire from her beta waves.

He managed to roll from the cover of the tree to another. He just barely managed to dodge the fireball that slammed into the spot he had rolled over. He gripped his knife and _jumped_ as far as he could.

The fireball slammed into the tree he was hiding behind, she had not calculated his jump. He hit the ground running and closed the distance between the two of them. He was wary of the fire, but he figured the AED should do its job when he was within range. More fire sprung up around her just before he got within range. It seemed to surround her, cloaking her in blue flames.

He didn't think anything of it and immediately went in for the kill. To his surprise, she managed to grab his wrist and twist it cruelly, causing him to drop the knife. Why wasn't the AED having an effect on her?

She delivered a deft hit to his stomach, causing him to bend over. He tried to retaliate with a left hook, but she blocked and countered with another cruel hit to his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He heard a cracking and breaking sound. He prayed that it wasn't his ribs.

It wasn't. The cracking sound was followed by a shorting-out sound. She had shattered the AED in a single blow. She swept his legs out from under him and delivered the final strike to his face, causing his head to snap back against the ground. Knocking him out.

Mary panted heavily, "Obviously I've augmented my reflexes and strength as well as my senses, fool." She ignored the fact that she was talking to an unconscious person. She clenched her hands together before chuckling, "You'll make a good puppet."

XXX

 **And there we go. It's even shorter than the last chapter, but that's because I removed those two sections and placed them in the previous chapter. Yet another dinner date ends in disaster for Owen. And we learn what King had bribed Sam with. It's funny really, King bribes and manipulates people and Gordon is forced to do the same. He had basically countered what King had offered Sam. But I wonder what side Sam will side with... and Owen too?! King is nearly finished setting up his mid game, and Freeman is falling behind in development. Hamada was taken out? I wonder how that's going to go down...**

 **I would like to pose the following question: can any of you guess what two villains King is based on? Obviously his name isn't a giveaway, I got the first name from a random name generator and the last name is supposed to go with the chess motif. But he's referenced the two villains he's based on a few times (and he's going to continue to reference them) and I was just wondering if anyone could guess what inspired me to write King the way I do!**

 **This time... a chapter may not be out for a few weeks. I have no idea. Obviously, I still have a few sleepless nights to keep writing, but I probably won't finish the next chapter in time. So, until next time... I hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24 - Finifugal:

Author's Note:

 **Well that took longer than I wanted. But here we go, another chapter of Tedium. We're approaching the climax, people, I hope you're ready. No one was able to guess what villains King is based on... but it doesn't matter. It'll (hopefully) become apparent soon. Oh, and I'm very proud of you, Dragon-God, you have been the only one so far to identify one of the major themes in the story. You didn't explain it perfectly, but you noted it. Also, yes, Marie (Mary) reminds me too of Azula from Avatar. She got a serious power up after Gordon used his powers on her, turning her flames blue. Anyways, enjoy!**

XXX

Hamada woke with a start. _Where am I,_ he pondered groggily. He was in some dingy cell. Moonlight shone through a small barred window, casting a single light spot on the floor. His hands were bound by rope, but he was free to move about the cell.

Not that he could go far. Iron bars kept him within the room. The room itself was empty, there was no cot to sleep on, no toilet, nothing. He had just been tossed into the cell with no escape. The only sound that could be heard was his own breathing and the continuous _drip, drip, drip_ of the leaky roof.

Grunting, Hamada stood. The roof was a few feet above his head, but it did look like it was caving in. It didn't matter if it was or not, he wouldn't be able to escape. He suddenly collapsed to a knee. There was a painful ringing in his ears and his head hurt something fierce.

After the ringing vanished, he remembered how he got here. Where ever here was... He had lost a fight. The girl he was tailing lured him out into the middle of nowhere and attacked him. With fire, lots of fire. She must've dragged him here and locked him away.

 _How long have I been here?_ Hamada wondered. He could've been here an hour or a week and he'd never know. He couldn't have been out for more than an hour. He tested the strength of his bonds and found them to be too strong to break through.

He sighed and scooted into the driest corner of the cell. Even though there was little water, there was still must and mold. He sat in the corner like an abused child until he heard someone unlocking the cell door.

Choosing not to rush to his feet, he stayed put in the corner. He wouldn't be able to do much when standing caused him pain, not to mention his hands being bound. He settled on glaring at the man who stepped into the cell.

He couldn't see the man's face but the figure had the body type of a man. The man stood there, staring at him for several minutes before cringing. "I'm sorry for the... less then comfortable conditions, but we really didn't have anywhere else to put you," the man stepped into the light revealing himself to be King.

But Hamada had never met King before, "Who are you?"

"King... although I wouldn't think that to be the first question on your mind," the man grinned. Hamada remained silent, refusing to ask any questions. The smile dropped from King's face, "I figured you might give me the silent treatment."

King took a deep breath and shrugged, "Oh well. We can have fun a different way then. Tell me, do you know why you're here?"

Again, Hamada was silent. "You're here because there's a certain... _value_ about you. You see, within your mind is a wealth of knowledge. Dr. Freeman's plans, his battle strategies, and his over all end game. As I told him, it's difficult to defend against the unknown," King said.

This time a confused look crossed Hamada's face, "Who's Dr. Freeman?"

King faltered, "Don't try to give me that crap, he's been giving you assignments to try and put a wrench in my plans." The confused look was still present, so King continued to prod, "He told you to follow Dr. Giddings..." He thought that Hamada was just reeling from the shock of being captured.

"I don't remember any of that," Hamada admitted.

A dark glint appeared in King's eyes, "Really? Well I hope you don't mind if I confirm that, Dr. Giddings!" he called out. Mary cringed when she saw the state of the cell, but neither King nor Hamada noticed.

"Go ahead. You see, we tried to extract the information by force, but it seems as if Dr. Freeman put a powerful barrier around your memories. Something that he could maintain over long distances. Although Dr. Giddings is very strong, she isn't quite skilled enough to break through the barrier..." King's rant was interrupted by Mary.

"The barrier is gone," she said simply. Hamada only stared at them in confusion. He had no idea what was going on.

"What?"

"The barrier... it's gone. And he's telling the truth, he does not remember who Dr. Freeman is, or why he's been running around the park doing his errands," Mary said.

 _Damn!_ King cursed internally, Dr. Freeman had played them. The barrier was a time bomb, a distraction. If anyone tried to breach it with a significant amount of force, it would erase the memories of the person it protected.

Though it seemed as if Dr. Freeman had been able to focus it and only erase memories that contained him. "Fine, then... if that's how he wants to play then I'm holding nothing back! You deal with him, I'll go and order _it_ to be brought to the island," King growled.

"What do you mean by deal with him? Kill him, or..."

King paused before leaving the cell. "I think he'd make a useful puppet. It might even make the good doctor falter. And one mistake could cost victory."

Mary shrugged and turned back to Hamada. She placed a hand against his head and concentrated. "Let's get you out of this cell," she whispered. His eyes popped open, they had turned glassy.

XXX

"Hey, man, are you alright?" Lieutenant Dan asked, placing a hand on Owen's shoulder. Owen had been spacing out, catching Dan's attention.

Owen had been worrying about a number of things. At the very top of the list at the moment was the new soldiers. About three hours ago, thirty well-trained InGen soldiers had arrived on the island. Owen remembered how InGen had lost over ninety percent of their forces trying to capture Dracul... these were likely hired mercenaries.

They had gone through the same orientation that he and the other ACU soldiers had to go through. Only this time, Owen was sitting up on the stage. Masrani and Claire had asked him to say a few words.

He couldn't think of anything besides saying, "I've only been here for two days now." and then sitting back down. He wasn't exactly a guy known for delivering charismatic speeches... let alone on the fly.

"I'm fine. Just a little bored," Owen admitted. It was true. Here he was, with his lieutenant standing next to him, in front of thirty InGen soldiers... and nothing was happening. All the excitement had died down.

The fire, the mercenaries, and the Indominus paddock's security guards' mysterious disappearance. All of the commotion had died down, leaving ACU with nothing to do. InGen had been kind enough to supply new weapons and tranquilizers, but here they were... just standing around.

Of course, Owen knew a bit more about what was going on than the rest of ACU, but it wasn't like he could tell them. Owen subconsciously clenched his hands into fists. King's words continuously echoed in his mind, _Destroy Jurassic World._

There was an unconscious pull towards those words. Alpha seemed to take to them, Owen could feel it. Although King had asked for Owen to go to Isla Sorna, presumably before the destruction of the park, Alpha had wanted to burn Jurassic World himself.

Was it some sort of twisted revenge? Is that why King was doing this? Owen was unsure, but he knew one thing, it would not be easy to deny King. King presented himself as the only option, and Owen couldn't help but agree. Owen wanted the cure, no matter what.

Owen knew that Alpha was always going to be at the back of his mind, literally. It was... unnerving to say the least. And incredibly distracting. He was beginning to get _strange_ urges. He knew that they were coming from Alpha... his instinct.

Owen knew that King wanted Jurassic World gone, and he knew that if he joined King... he might be forced to help. Alpha knew this too. It also knew that if Owen didn't join King, he would die. Owen may not like Alpha, but at the very least, Alpha looked out for Owen.

Alpha was selfish and Omega was selfless... two parts of Owen, both trying to get him to chose different answers. Omega could talk with him directly and form an actual argument. Alpha wasn't as lucky, he was trapped deep within Owen's subconscious. But that didn't mean he couldn't communicate with Owen.

Alpha could send urges directly to Owen's conscious. And they weren't pretty ones either. _Kill them all, protect yourself, you are the only thing important. All must burn,_ Owen got brief flashes every few minutes.

Thankfully, Omega was there to keep him sane and from actually comply with Alpha's demands... but Owen knew that it was only a matter of time until something happened and Alpha was released again. Owen shuddered involuntarily. _Only a matter of time,_ Alpha's voice sang in his mind before being beaten back by Omega.

Owen was not sure how long he could hold out. "Alright, nothing seems to be happening. Lieutenant, if you would please continue the tour on your own, I have somewhere to be," Owen commanded.

Dan saluted, only slightly bothered by Owen skimping out on the tour. It was the worst part. Especially because of the soldiers InGen had sent over. They weren't exactly friendly. Most were completely silent, just _staring into Dan's soul_. But a few were exceptionally rowdy.

It was to be expected from a military full of primarily males. InGen had only sent over guys, several definitely were on steroids. Although nothing had happened yet, Dan could envision them harassing the current ACU members.

Owen made his way out of the barracks. He wasn't sure what to do. He _needed_ the cure, but the only way to reach it would be to join King. _There has to be another way!_ Owen thought desperately. He had to confide in someone.

Someone who was struggling through the same thing he was. Sam was his only option. Maybe King was lying when he said she had already joined him. Maybe they could help each other weather through this storm. If not... they would definitely be washed away.

XXX

"Very good. I want _it_ over immediately. I will accept nothing less than tomorrow," Wu heard the strange voice as he walked into his old office. "Afternoon is fine, just make sure _it_ is here tomorrow. I'm ending this game."

Wu shut the door behind him and saw a man sitting at his desk, shutting an old flip-phone. "Can I help you?" Wu asked. There was something about this man that was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

The man grinned, "I very much think that you can. Tell me, Wu, do you remember me?" Wu thought hard. The voice definitely registered... could it be?

Wu frowned, "King." The grin on King's face widened.

"That's good, it'd be bad if you had forgotten me, wouldn't it? But you've never met me in person, have you?"

"We've spoken over the phone a few times," Wu glared. He knew very little about King, despite being an InGen employee. King would always tell Wu what he could and couldn't make. The Spino-Rex, although Wu's idea, had been approved by King before he could proceed.

But not the virus. He had done that without King's permission. _Does he know? Is he here to punish me?_ Wu wondered. But he did not betray any outside emotion by panicking.

Panicking would just confirm King's suspicions. "Like I said, I need your help with something. You see," the man started, "I have this employee. And he's been _very_ uncooperative, and then he goes and does _exactly_ what I want... but doesn't get my go ahead first. What should I do? Should he be _punished?_ Or should he be congratulated?"

Wu gulped quietly, but it didn't escape King's attention. "Nervous, Wu?" he said, smirking. Wu was forced to stand as he didn't give up the only seat in the office.

 _What should I say?_ Wu wondered. He knew that King was a wild card. On one hand, he may approve of honesty. On the other, this could all be a trap. Perhaps it was best to just stay silent. And so Wu did exactly that.

The smirk dropped off of King's face, "That's _disappointing,_ Wu. I was hoping you'd at least try and defend yourself. At least now I have a good idea of what king of a man you are. You're _boring_ Wu, and cowardly."

He paused, and stood, causing Wu to step back. He approached Wu slowly, backing the geneticist into a corner. Wu stiffened when he hit a wall. Why didn't he run for the door. The smirk didn't return to King's face and Wu didn't like how serious he had gotten.

King grabbed Wu's chin and forced him to look up from the ground and into his eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I was never going to punish you. Well, I might, but it'll depend on your answer. Do you think that we could help each other, Wu? I'll let you go, scotch free, I'll even let your leave _my employment_..." King paused again for dramatic effect.

He leaned in and whispered into Wu's ear, _"_ _If you agree to show my geneticists how to make the virus."_ The man leaned back and studied Wu's face to look for a reaction. "That's all, Dr. Wu. It's this or _punishment_ , and I don't think you want that. Oh, and I need an answer right now."

Wu began to panic. There was no escape. And there was no real guarantee of survival even if he did decide to help King. After he had finished with him, King would toss him aside as the next day's garbage. That's the kind of man King was.

 _Or is it?_ Wu questioned. In truth, what little he knew about King came down to his reputation. But only the bad stories were ever told. The stories where he would slowly and agonizingly tear your arms off with his bare hands, those were the stories that followed King.

But Wu couldn't remember if the men King had dismembered had appeased him or not. If they had followed orders, but King killed them anyways... but what if they weren't following orders? Then was King's brand of punishment justifiable?

Wu wondered. A new thought entered his head. Wu had been thinking about it wrong. King had presented two options before him, saying that he could chose between his way or death. But the reality was that there was no choice to begin with.

King was a master at manipulating with words. He would give you two options and ask you to chose. But there was only one option, his option. He spun it in such a way that you had no choice but to side with him.

A vicious smirk appeared on Wu's face. At the very least, he could throw a wrench in King's plans. King was expecting him to just roll over and give him what he wanted. But Wu was feeling uncooperative at the moment.

"It's classified," that simple answer changed the atmosphere of the small office. King's face took on a look of confusion before escalating to rage. Wu just kept smirking throughout the punishment. It was a small victory, not without its price, but worth it in the end.

King growled to himself as he dusted off his suit and straightened his tie, just as he was leaving the small office. "It doesn't matter if you help or not Wu. You're just a worthless pawn anyways," he mumbled to himself after his appearance was immaculate once again.

He cracked his neck and then his wrists. He then walked in the direction of Masrani's room. He could feel another pawn approaching the Innovation Center, and he wanted to gloat before he made the pawn announce defeat.

Wu laid on the floor in immense pain. Tears leaked from his eyes, but it wasn't from the pain. It was from the laughter. Wu had started laughing only a few minutes after King had started. And he hadn't stopped since. _I'll never help you again, King._

XXX

Dr. Freeman made his way into the Innovation Center. Hamada hadn't reported to him yet. Gordon wasn't necessarily worried about the former commander, but he was annoyed that he was taking so long. It took a few hours before Gordon realized what had happened. Hamada must have been captured.

Now he was unsure what to do. Charging forward without Hamada would definitely be a mistake. Staying back and waiting to see what King would do next was also a mistake. King could end the game any time he wanted.

So Gordon decided to be aggressive and go looking for King. King wasn't an idiot, he had the AED on. But Gordon eventually settled on looking at the Innovation Center first. King was still setting up his end game, he would likely want to speak to Wu.

Operating on that idea, Gordon took only three steps before halting. Raising an eyebrow, he strained his enhanced hearing to try and detect the noise he had heard again. To his surprise, it sounded like a piano.

Gordon's features darkened as he realized where King must be. So he made his way towards Masrani's office, determined to find the piano player. As he walked, he listened to the song that was being played.

It was something Gordon had never heard before. _It must be his own composition,_ he figured. Gordon listened harder, trying to determine meaning from the notes. Gordon had figured out from his first interaction with King that the man enjoyed giving hints. And there was no doubt that hints would be hidden in his song.

Gordon wasn't sure how long King had been playing, it could have been hours. Unless King had seen him coming. Gordon grimaced, but continued to listen to the music as he approached the storage room.

It was a simple piece, but dark in meaning. The majority of the notes were played at the lower end, with a few high pitches thrown in between. Likely to imply the park's helplessness. The song shifted as Gordon reached the hallway leading to the room.

It sounded more like a dance, but the deeper notes were still leading, dragging the higher notes along. The deeper notes were surprisingly more soothing than the higher pitched ones. As Gordon continued to get closer, he could hear King slamming down on the higher notes, adding an extra sound.

 _What does that mean?_ Gordon pondered. He reached the door and placed his hand on the handle, the higher notes became few and far between, and only the soothing deeper notes seemed to remain. As he pulled the door open, the notes got faster and faster. Reaching a crescendo of sound and movement.

The deeper notes lost their soft edge as the higher pitched notes became too soft to hear for anyone except Gordon. The melody became lost in a sea of frenzy and insanity as the piece became wild, without structure. It grated on Gordon's ears, it was nearly too much to handle.

And it ended in a loud, bang! As King slammed his hands down on four of the lowest notes and one on the highest note. King had stood up from the chair so he could reach across the piano. He held his standing position dramatically, letting the notes fade away, their meaning clear to Freeman.

King turned his head slightly, "Dead end." He let the words sink in as he lifted his hands and turned around fully to see Dr. Freeman's unimpressed look. "Wasn't that so... _boring_ , Dr. Freeman? The deep notes just completely overpowered the higher ones."

"I see that you've been busy," Gordon commented, refusing to answer King's question. King snorted at Gordon's dodge and sat down on the piano chair again, still facing the good doctor.

"Of course if you were able to put up more of a fight then this would be so much more fun. But you've got nothing, Dr. Freeman."

"Not exactly. How sure are you that you have managed to convert Sam? And you've failed to turn Saber traitor... I'd say I still have a fighting chance," Gordon claimed.

King smirked, "I notice a lack of Hamada in your words. Maybe it's because _you know we have him?_ Are you here to bargain for his freedom?"

"No," was the simple answer.

"Then you'll let him rot, will you?"

"I just don't feel like trading anything to you. Hamada isn't that valuable of a piece, just a pawn," Gordon shrugged.

"You're just hiding the true nature of your pieces. I am fully aware of Hamada's worth. You are the pawn here, Dr. Freeman. A pawn in your own game."

Gordon glared at King and said, "But that makes me the perfect soldier. I can attack without having to worry about defense. In the end, I can throw myself away to attain victory."

"Victory? I'm afraid to say that victory is no longer within your grasp. You should've stayed back as I requested. I've sent for _it_ ," King said.

"It?"

"My trump card. As I said before, I could wipe this place from the face of the earth in less than an hour, if I so wished. But I decided it would be interesting to play the game instead. I gave you the choice of whether I was to continue playing the game or decide to just end it in one turn," King shrugged.

Gordon continued to glare at him, "The game is yet to be lost. I still have my end game."

The grin on King's face widened even further, "You want to go to the _end game_ with me? How kind of you! But I warn you... you had better end it quickly, because when _it_ gets here... it will knock aside the board like a petulant child!"

"My trump card has yet to be active either. _She_ should grant me time to win this game," Gordon claimed. _Unless his trump card happens to be an atomic bomb..._ the pessimistic thought made itself known in the good doctor's mind, before he shook it away.

A dark glint could be seen in King's eyes, "I've been preparing for so long... do you not think I know how to counter _her?_ At long last, my war has dawned!" He threw his hands into the air and let out a loud laugh.

"You don't care at all about Sam, Owen, or Wu, do you? They are just pieces that can help you continue this war across the world... you don't need them, do you?" Gordon asked cautiously.

The maniacal laughter ceased as King regained his bearings, "I just wanted to see if I could convince them to join me. They'll be left in the ashes anyways, why not drag them along for some more fun? Just like I did you."

 _Fun?_ Gordon pondered quietly, "Why _are_ you doing all of this? It's not about the war, not really. You don't care about the destruction nor the loss of life... even I find that dull. What's it all for?"

King grinned and leaned forward, "You're right. I want to solve the problem, our problem. It's going to start very soon. The fall." King grinned as he mimicked the sound of falling bombs, "But don't be afraid. Falling's just like flying, just with a more permanent destination."

"As I had thought," Gordon stated, "This war is just to satisfy your hunger, isn't it? Your hunger for conflict."

King smirked and nodded. He stood from the chair and approached the good doctor. Gordon threw the shields around his mind as King approached, to protect from the AED. King straightened his jacket and took a deep breath, "Do you know what the truly hilarious thing is? You're only half right."

Gordon raised an eyebrow. How easy would it be to just end this now? Gordon's fingers twitched, but he did not lunge for King, nor reach for the knife in his pocket. There was a chance King was armed, and Gordon had no doubt the threat of an attack crossed his mind. So he did not make a move, it was not time yet.

"If God is all powerful, he cannot be all good; if he is all good, he cannot be all powerful. You are a God wishing to be a mortal, but it only makes you a monster. And I slay monsters, I am both the king and the non-believer," King explained.

King walked out of the room, calling out before shutting the door, "Make your own piece. Show me how you will win." and then the door shut.

Gordon stared at the piano, considering sitting down and just playing. Though he figured it would sound too similar to King's. So he refrained from doing so. King was just toying with him now, giving him hints and then tearing them apart in front of his eyes.

 _Only half right_ , those words echoed in Gordon's mind. King was misleading him, he was sure of it now. He wasn't aiming for either Owen, nor Sam, nor Wu, those were just distractions. Maybe he wasn't even aiming for the destruction of the park either. So what is his goal?

XXX

 **I'm going to stop here (I had more, but decided to put it in the next chapter). I was able to post before classes start, thankfully. It's a much shorter chapter, but we definitely get some good stuff right here. Hamada's being tortured, Owen's being tortured, Gordon's being tortured, Wu's being tortured... lots of torturing going on here. Next chapter will be the calm before the storm. The cataclysm is approaching, the calamity that Gordon had detected so many chapters ago is nearly here. How will Gordon be able to stop the storm? Or will he fail... find out next time!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25 - Fika:

Author's Note:

 **Wow, I have more time to work on these than I thought. I grossly overestimated the difficulty of my classes... well it is only week one. Next week will be worse, I'm sure. We're nearing the home stretch. This is going to be another shorter chapter, with only two parts. I really don't want to rush this story, I'm enjoying myself too much. It's been a long journey, perhaps puzzling and confusing at times, but a journey none-the-less. We have at the very least four more chapters to go, plus the epilogue and final author's note. Hope you enjoy!**

XXX

The day was ending. The sun had lowered beneath the sky and the moon was beginning to rise. Owen grimaced as he looked out into the night sky. He could see no stars. There was too much light where he was.

He sat in a small coffee shop on Main Street. He had never been one for coffee, but he couldn't care less at the moment. Across from him sat Sam. She took a slow sip of her brew and Owen forced himself to do the same.

This was the only place Sam had agreed to meet with Owen. She was restless after what had happened to Wu. He had been admitted to the hospital with a broken body and endless laughter. It had unnerved her, to say the least.

Wu seemed to have snapped and she knew who to blame. _King,_ she gritted her teeth as she thought of the name. She understood why Owen would want to speak to her. Dr. Freeman was currently unavailable. Plus, she was going through the same thing he was.

They could suffer together. Or perhaps find a way out. But neither had said a word to the other besides a plain sounding, "Hey," as they sat down. And so they sat in silence for the better part of an hour, quietly sipping their coffee.

Sam had taken her time in drinking hers, she wanted it to last. She couldn't fall asleep without nightmares invading her dreams. She dreamed of Wu's broken, bloody body lying on the ground. His insane laughter penetrated her soul. King had done something to the poor man, or perhaps he had just had enough.

Other visions presented themselves before her, these ones of the future. King had claimed Jurassic World was going to burn. She couldn't stop seeing fire. The same fire that had destroyed the labs, the place she had called home, was going to consume Jurassic World. So she took comfort in the coffee and Owen's silent company, for she did not wish to invoke the visions once again.

Owen, on the other hand, was still being bombarded with Alpha's requests. Even to kill Sam. Owen wasn't sure why Alpha had suggested it. Maybe to increase the chances of King actually picking him.

As far as Owen knew, he was just a back-up. A defect in King's eyes. If Sam were to die... King would have to take Owen seriously. Theoretically, King could promise Owen anything, and then toss him aside when King no longer needed him. So Owen took solace in not the coffee, but in Sam's resolute stare. Nothing could shake her... right?

Sam split the silence with a chuckle, "You were right, you know."

"About what?" Owen asked. He had been spacing out, trying his best to block out Alpha's suggestions. Omega had been losing the fight since he had sat down. Perhaps tonight was when Alpha was going to escape.

At the very least, Sam was here to stop him. "About me being defective. I just found out... I'm a failed psychic," Sam conceded.

"Failed?" Owen echoed in confusion. He made a face and set the coffee aside. He didn't want to drink anymore. He gave Sam his undivided attention.

"My father is a psychic, but he hid it from me when he found out I wasn't."

"So?" Owen asked. It was a stupid response, that only caused Sam to become distressed.

"It means I don't have an Id or Superego. I'm just a walking abomination. I _should_ be a psychic or I _should_ be like you. But I'm not... I'm neither," Sam growled, trying not to sniffle. She managed to succeed.

Owen thought for a moment, "Dr. Freeman told you this?"

"Yeah," Sam responded with a growl. Even after the good doctor had helped her, she still despised him.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if Dr. Freeman is playing us just as much as King is..." Owen trailed off. He didn't want to admit that Gordon might be the wrong side in all of this. Perhaps they had been presented two bad options, but one of them had hid itself well.

Sam snorted, _I've been saying that all along,_ she thought to herself. She ended up sighing, "I'd really like to say that he has some ulterior motive... but I can't think of what it might be."

"For all we know, he plans to feed us to Saber!" Owen joked, "Or maybe sell us out to King," he continued on a much more serious note.

"We know _nothing_ about the man. I think it's safe to assume that both King and Dr. Freeman are bad options. We need to forge our own path," Sam recommended.

Owen smiled, "That sounds great... how do we do that?"

"We wait, we move ourselves in a position that we'd be able to take down both of them while they're distracted with the other. If we pretend to be on King's side, he'd let us get close enough to strike him down," Sam took another sip of her coffee.

"And Dr. Freeman?" Owen asked carefully. He wasn't sure if he would be willing to kill the good doctor. He had been so helpful... but Sam was right. They had to make their own paths. Maybe they could just incapacitate the good doctor.

"He's too strong for us to take on directly. We wait until he's facing King, and we stab him in the back. It'll prove out loyalty to King as well, he'd take us in."

Owen nodded half-heartedly. When the time came, he knew that he would be able to do what was necessary. "Now all we need to do is find the right place..." Sam muttered.

Sam raised her eyebrow when she felt her phone buzz. She reached into her pockets to pull out her phone. Normally, she would have kept her phone in her lab coat, but she had stopped wearing in after the labs burned down. She wasn't sure why, but it didn't feel right to her.

The text read, "Meet me in front of the Innovation Center tomorrow at 1200 hours – King." Sam read the text twice before showing it to Owen.

"So that's the plan, just play along for now?" Owen asked. Sam nodded. She placed her phone back into her pocket. She missed the comfort of her lab coat. They were silent for several more minutes as she finished her coffee.

"You aren't an abomination, you know," Owen said, shattering the silence again. Sam gave him an incredulous look, prompting him to continue, "Just because you aren't a psychic or you aren't like me doesn't make you a failure. It makes you different. You have control... I have nothing. If that doesn't make you special, then what does?"

 _I don't want to be like Dr. Freeman,_ Sam sniffed and nodded her head. "What did he promise you?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from herself. She didn't want to talk about this.

"King?" he asked. She nodded again in confirmation. "Tell me what he offered you first..."

"He offered me a cure," Sam shrugged.

"I thought you didn't want to cure the virus?" Owen said.

"Not for the virus, for my father. He has brain cancer... King said that he could make a cure using our wereraptor DNA."

Owen was quiet for a moment, he had no idea that Sam's father had cancer. "Then why don't you take his offer?"

She sniffed again, wiping her eye quickly, and then growled, "I just found out _why_ he has cancer. He's psychic, and all psychics develop brain cancer down the line. So I just thought, _would we have to keep curing him over and over again?_ "

She threw her hands up in the air, "And to even make the cure, one of us would have to _die_." She shook her head, "I'm just... not sure if it's even... worth it."

Owen nodded in understanding, "He offered me a cure too, the cure for the virus."

Sam stiffened, "Not possible," she said immediately.

Owen raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I mean, I know Wu failed, but he just lost his lab, so he can't help anymore. I have to find someone else..."

"No I mean, it isn't possible _anymore_. Wu found the cure and he made two of them, one for you and one for me..." she grew wistful, "If only I had understood why he wanted me to take it sooner."

"What?! There is a cure? When did this happen?"

"The cure was finished before we tried to find out why you couldn't control your transformations," Sam admitted.

" _Why didn't you give it to me then!_ " Owen hissed angrily.

"I wanted to at least see if we could find out what was wrong with you... I didn't know the fire was going to happen."

"And why can't I have the cure now?"

"Wu lost the only two he made in the fire," Sam said.

Owen gritted his teeth, "So if there is a cure, why can't King make me one?"

Sam shook her head, "The cure was built around the model of the virus, only this time it reversed the effects. You'd need a sample of your blood before you got the virus. Wu was able to get his hands on the only sample on the island, perhaps in the world."

Owen paused, she was right. There was no way they could track down any more blood samples of his before the virus. He had given blood before, but there was no way to get that blood back. He wasn't in some master record that held on to a sample of his blood.

Owen gulped slowly. Alpha seemed to understand as well, as the _urges_ he had felt before vanished. Omega returned to the front of his mind, explaining that Alpha had buried itself deep within his subconscious.

It was at that moment that Owen realized that Alpha wasn't bad. Alpha really cared about Owen, but only Owen. Alpha would do _anything_ to please Owen... even if that mean destroying itself. Maybe Alpha wanted to be destroyed. Having your own free will, but trapped within another person's subconscious must be torture.

Owen chuckled slightly, "So my cure is no longer possible, and yours would require a sacrifice from one of us. Who told you all of this? Dr. Freeman?"

"Yes... but this is something that I trust him with. He _knows_ my father, and he _is_ psychic. He seemed legitimately distraught that all psychics eventually contract brain cancer... as if he knew that even _he_ was not safe from that inevitability," Sam affirmed.

Owen nodded in understanding again. They both stood and threw away their trash. They stepped outside of the coffee shop, the bright lamps blinding Owen at first. The waved goodbye to each other and headed their separate ways. An unspoken agreement between them, they would both be back here tomorrow to forge their own paths.

When Owen reached his bungalow, he could not sleep. He wished that he could blame the coffee, but he knew the reason was what Sam had said. He was stuck like this forever. Even now, after he had gotten far away from the lights of Main Street, he could not see a single star in the sky.

XXX

Saber sighed in boredom as she watched Gordon frantically scribble something on a piece of paper. He had refused to explain what he was doing, he wouldn't even respond to her questions. She sighed as Gordon looked up from his writing and seemed to stare off into space.

It was something that he had started to do randomly. She figured that he was just thinking, but his face was a careful mask, making it difficult to ascertain what he was truly doing. He was just gone. Usually, he would at least twitch when she said something, but not when he was like this.

He was completely unresponsive in this state. She shook her head slightly when awareness flooded his eyes. He looked back down at whatever he was working on and continued without even acknowledging what had happened.

This pattern continued for the better part of an hour before he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He set the pen that he was using down and folded the paper. He seemed to think about it for a moment, before just placing the paper inside one of his desk drawers.

He sucked in a breath as he stood. He popped his back and both of his wrists before meandering over to the broken window. He rubbed the ridge over her right eye, "It'll only be a few more days until they get your sliding window put in," he noted.

She did her best to reign in her excitement. She had no idea what had happened to Dr. Freeman, he seemed so... _relaxed_. As if he was avoiding the problem at hand. _"We have something more urgent to attend to, remember? King,"_ she reminded him. _"Do we have a game plan? What are we going to do?"_

Gordon stared at her for a moment, ceasing his rubbings, causing her to groan inwardly. She enjoyed being rubbed... for whatever reason, she couldn't fathom why. "What's to worry about? We've lost," he shrugged. He leaned slightly on her head, chuckling softly.

Saber raised her head in surprise, causing Gordon to nearly fall over. He managed to catch himself. _"What do you mean we've lost!"_ Saber growled.

"I mean we lost, simple as that. King has decided to play his trump card. It's over," Gordon said. His face still displayed no emotion, Saber hoped that he felt at least some inner turmoil. She didn't want him to give up the fight.

 _"_ _We can take him. You and me, we can bring King to his knees... remember?"_ Saber asked. Then quietly, she added, _"You promised me."_

"I underestimated King. I knew he had a trump card, but I thought that he would stick with the game until the end. I'm sorry Saber, but there's nothing that I can do..."

 _"_ _I refuse."_

Gordon raised an eyebrow at her confidence, "Excuse me?"

 _"_ _I refuse to give up. You should too."_

Gordon shook his head, "There's no hope. We cannot win."

 _"_ _Shut up!"_ Saber snarled, causing Gordon to stumble backwards from her intensity. _"We can win... we will win! As long as I'm with you, we can accomplish anything."_

"No. You are staying here. We're both staying here, and when King comes for us, we'll surrender."

 _"_ _Like hell I will. You can pussy out all you want, at least let me out! So I can face him and his 'trump card' alone,"_ Saber growled. Gordon flinched at her word choice, she didn't usually curse like this.

"No... haven't I told you already? This is all about you. You are the piece that I want to protect most, the only reason I faced King in the first place was for you," Gordon stated.

 _"_ _I haven't given up yet, and I don't need protecting."_

Gordon chuckled, "Perhaps... but whatever King has planned, is beyond you and even me," Gordon shook his head somberly.

 _"_ _Don't you dare run away from this!"_ Saber snarled, once again jolting Dr. Freeman.

 _Where did you go?_

 _Away... I had to get away. So I ran._

Gordon seemed to be lost again, staring into the abyss. But he freed himself before Saber could even grow concerned. "Very well... I shall face King as I had originally intended. And... and... I will allow you to help," Gordon sighed.

A vicious grin presented itself on Saber's jaws as she lifted her head out of the viewing room and let out a roar of jubilation. The chance to be free. "I was always just a pawn in my own game anyways..."

 _When will you fix my sister?_

 _I am afraid that I will be unable to..._

 _Damn you, Dr. Freeman! … Damn you._

 _Afraid? Why should I be afraid?_ Gordon pondered as Saber shoved her head back into the viewing room a little too hard, causing the building to shake. This time, Gordon lost his footing and fell to the ground, chuckling with mirth. At the very least, Saber could be free. Just as he promised.

"You need to be careful though, I don't want you to die on me," Gordon warned her.

She shook her head, _"I don't need protecting. Besides, I'll have them with me."_ She gestured into the brush where four pairs of amber eyes watched their every movement.

Gordon took a glance at his desk where he had hidden the paper. It was something important, if the worst was to happen. Although he could trick Saber into thinking that he was willing to fight at full strength... he knew that even then it would be a lost cause.

XXX

Who knew that Armageddon would happen on such a lovely day? It was just over seventy degrees, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and there was a light breeze. The sun wasn't too intense, but not too weak either.

A single cargo ship arrived at the Jurassic World docks. A man in a black suit walked up to the ship to make sure everything was where it should be. It was the third man often seen following King. He readjusted his suit as he waited for the captain to address him.

"We're here," the captain said. He was a portly man while the man in the black suit was quite skinny.

"You're an hour early. No matter, early is better anyways. Did you bring _her_ along too?" the man in the black suit asked.

"Yeah, King said to bring the child, so I did," the captain said. He snapped his fingers as loud as he could. A few of his crewmates stepped forward, towing a child in chains behind them.

"Excellent," the man in the black suit said. He approached the child in chains and looked her up and down. It seemed the the trip didn't treat her well, she was slightly green and had clearly been throwing up.

"Trust me, I'm appalled that our employer would treat such a valuable asset as her like this," the man in the black suit said, gesturing to the girl. She had not raised her head to look at him. She was wearing nothing but rags and the chains prevented her from moving her arms and legs, so she had to be literally dragged everywhere.

The man grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him in the eyes. "Is the other asset in _its_ cage?" the man asked, staring into the girl's eyes.

"Yeah... what exactly is in that cage?" the captain asked.

"Oh you'll find out," the man in the black suit chuckled. He turned his attention back to the little girl, "Are you ready my sweet? To help tear this place to the ground?" The girl did not respond, but they could all hear something rattling within the belly of the ship. Something huge and dangerous let out a loud **ROAR!**

The man in the black suit continued to grin as he gazed into the little girl's eyes. She was fascinating, really. And he truly didn't understand why King wanted his own daughter treated this way. But he was just a body guard, he had no choice in the matter. "Now, shall we begin?" the man said, allowing the girl to lower her head again. And point her faded violet eyes back at the ground.

XXX

 **DUN DUN DUN! Alright, how do like that for a cliffhanger? It's interesting, grabs your attention. Well... I guess I lied in the first note, there are actually three parts, but this one is so short that I just didn't count it. But it's important. What can the little girl do? What's in the cage? Will Gordon and Saber be able to fight whatever** _ **it**_ **is and King at the same time? What about Owen and Sam, will they be able to forge their own paths? And of course, what about Hamada, Wu, and Mary? Rexy, Dracul, Blue, all of them? Stay tuned to find out!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26 - Brontide:

Author's Note:

 **Yup, another one this early. I have so much time on my hands it's ridiculous... Anyways, the violence in this chapter is brought to you by: DOOM, the gift that keeps on giving. Please enjoy!**

XXX

"Are you ready?" Gordon asked. His hand hovered over the button that would release Saber from her cage.

 _"_ _Let me out,"_ Saber crooned with mirth. She was excited and terrified at the same time. Finally she would be able to taste freedom. But she would be fighting for her life at the same time.

"Very well," Gordon grinned. He hit the button, causing alarms to blare loudly. The doors began to open slowly, but Saber was impatient. She grabbed a hold of the door and forced it the rest of the way open with a loud _clang!_

A feeling of dread seeped throughout the island as Dr. Freeman's trump card stepped free from her cage. She stretched as she did so, shaking the rust from her scales. She was tired of being held up in that paddock and ready to fight. It had been three years since the incident, she was out for blood.

Her chest puffed up as she cleared the door, Gordon watching her the entire time. As all fifty feet of her body exited the paddock, she lifted her head high and let loose a terrifying roar heard across the island.

Following close behind her was the Raptor pack. The chittered in excitement, they had been freed too. They clambered onto her back giving shrieks of glee. They were ready to fight too. Gordon's grin widened as he stepped down from the viewing room and in front of Saber and her pack.

"Let's do this," Gordon said, turning swiftly and walking towards the main park. Saber growled in agreement and followed behind the man. As they walked, she would occasionally release random roars. Just to let King know that she was coming.

She had no reason to hide her approach. No matter what King had planned, she would break it like a child would a toy. Her trademark vicious grin presented itself on her face as she walked. She was going to enjoy this. And she knew that if she enjoyed this, Gordon would catch the vibe. After all, laughter is contagious.

Gordon halted in front of the Innovation Center. His phone rang loudly. "This is Dr. Freeman," he answered.

" _Dr. Freeman, it's Lowery. You told me to warn you if anything suspicious arrived at the docks, right? Well something came, I don't know what it is yet, it's still on the ship. But the ship isn't one of ours,_ " the voice said quietly and quickly.

"Why are you whispering?" Gordon asked.

" _ACU showed up, but not our ACU. The soldiers from InGen! They busted in here and took over! They've told us to release the Spino-Rex, we had no choice Dr. Freeman!_ " Lowery said as loudly as he dared.

Gordon gritted his teeth, _So that's why he wanted to restock ACU,_ he growled to himself. "Hold tight, Lowery, I'm coming," he said, trying to comfort the panicked man.

" _Please hurry, I'm not sure how long we-"_ shouting was heard over Lowery talking, forcing him to end the call. The line went dead. Dr. Freeman sighed and pocketed his phone.

"Yet another thing to worry about," he mumbled, "This is where you and I part ways, my dear."

Saber crooned in confusion, _"Why?"_

"Your destiny lies at the docks. King is in the Innovation Center somewhere, and I need to save Lowery," Gordon claimed, stepping closer to the doors of the Innovation Center. "Please be careful... and remember, you are the most important piece to me. If you get to walk away alive and well, then it means that I have won," he said, disappearing into the Innovation Center.

Saber gave the doors one last look. She would do her best not to die, and expected the good doctor to do the same. She turned slightly and trudged towards the southern docks. She had no idea where exactly to go, but she figured she would find it eventually.

As Gordon entered the Innovation Center and as Saber left his side, Owen and Sam arrived on Main Street. They quickly ducked into the coffee shop that they had been in the day before to avoid detection from the Indominus Rex.

But the Indominus didn't seem to be paying much attention. And Dr. Freeman had completely ignored their presence. "So what now?" Owen asked Sam.

Sam rubbed her chin, "I think the main battle is going to happen inside. We'll wait out here, whoever the victor is, we'll end them right then and there." Owen nodded slowly. He had a feeling that it would be King walking through those doors, armed guards following behind him.

Gordon didn't make it far into the Innovation Center, he had stopped moving after only a few steps into the main room. Across from the holo pad was Hamada, alive and well. "There you are, I was wondering where you went," Gordon said sarcastically. He knew that Hamada had been hypnotized.

Hamada didn't respond. Gordon took a single step onto the holo pad before a voice rang out, "Go no further, Dr. Freeman!" It was Mary. She was leaning on the railing of the stairs that led further into the Innovation Center.

Gordon heard the tell-tale sign of a shotgun being pumped and pointed at him. Gordon smirked, "Is this my welcoming party? I'd have thought King would've put together a better one. But I guess I'm stuck with you."

Mary frowned and yelled out, "This is where your story ends, Dr. Freeman!" She waved her hand dramatically, silently ordering Hamada to open fire. But Gordon was ready.

Just as Hamada pulled the trigger Gordon leapt to the side. He completely evaded the shell. Gordon dove behind one of the machines just as fire rained down from the stairs. The blue fire consumed the machines, forcing Gordon to move again. All that could be heard was the perpetual pumping and firing of Hamada's shotgun and Mary's insane laughter. As well as a burning sound as the fire began to eat away at the room.

Gordon grimaced, he needed to either down Hamada or down Mary. Hamada was being mind controlled, it wouldn't difficult to wrest control from Mary, but it would leave him practically defenseless. All the while, Hamada would still be under Mary's control.

He would have to attack Mary directly. Which would be no easy feat with Hamada shooting at him and her having higher ground. And with her literal firepower by her side, she was in the perfect position to burn Gordon to a crisp.

He dove out of the way again, just barely managing to dodge the blue fire. He was lucky his lab coat hadn't burst into flames, for he knew that psychic flames could not be extinguished except by their creator. Why didn't he bring a gun again?

Because guns were completely ineffective against Mary. Especially when she could surround herself with a psychic shield. He sighed and reached into his lab coat pockets. He had managed to catch a small break as Mary took a deep breath to continue her assault.

From his pockets he pulled out a metal canister and a black box. He pulled a pin on the canister and threw it over his shoulder and then he pressed the orange button on the black box. The canister bounced a few times, causing Mary to raise an eyebrow.

Her eyes widened when she realized what the canister was and that Gordon had disappeared. Smoke billowed from the canister, clouding her vision. Although her link to Hamada remained intact, he was worthless unless she could see where she was leading him.

Dr. Freeman had effectively blinded her. She launched a few fireballs in random places, hoping to hit the good doctor, but she didn't hear any screams when her fireballs connected. She had missed. She ground her teeth together, expecting Dr. Freeman to take advantage of his situation and take control of Hamada.

He could easily overpower her and force her from Hamada's mind, but he couldn't do it while being distracted and left open. But, to her surprise, no attack came. She continued to stare at where she knew Hamada was, still thinking Gordon would be coming for him first.

She let out a screech in surprise as something grabbed her from behind and put her into a choke hold. She gasped for air when she realized it was Dr. Freeman. _He has an AED!_ Mary realized too late. She was losing oxygen and starting to black out.

She thrashed as hard as she could, kicking and screaming. But it was no good, Dr. Freeman had a tight hold on her. She gave one last sputter as she went limp in his arms. She passed out. Gordon let out the breath he had been holding. _Exactly as planned,_ he thought.

He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground and walked down the stairs. The moment she lost consciousness, Hamada had been freed. He placed a hand against his head and tried to regain his clarity. The brainwashing had muddled his mind.

"Who are you?" Hamada asked after he had cleared his head and saw Dr. Freeman.

Gordon smirked, "I had counted on you getting captured, honestly. It's nothing personal, but King already knew you were on my side. You had valuable information so I used you as bait. Bait to drag this game forward." He laid a hand on Hamada's head. "Here's all your memories back, sorry I had to take them from you."

Hamada shook his head slowly as he regained his being. Memories flooded back into his mind. "Dr... Freeman?" he said slowly, as if testing the name out on his tongue.

"Indeed," Gordon said, "Unfortunately, we don't have time for ceremony. We have a war to win. I need you to head to control and kill all of the InGen soldiers there." Gordon said, wasting no time.

Hamada nodded slowly, still confused, "What happened while I was out?"

"You were brainwashed. We're in the end game now, you go and save control, I'll take care of King," Gordon said, picking the shotgun up off of the floor. He handed it to Hamada, who took it half-heartedly.

"Save control... are you sure that you can take King?" he asked.

"Positive, get going," Gordon said. Hamada saluted and started to walk in the direction of control. "Oh, and before I forget, tell control to release Dracul," Gordon called out to Hamada before he disappeared.

Hamada nodded without turning around. He just wanted this game to end, at any cost. He was unsure if it was wise to release the old Spino, but Gordon could likely control it, so he wasn't particularly worried.

He hoped at the very end, after all of this was over, he could rejoin ACU as their commander. Gordon smirked when he heard that sentiment from Hamada, knowing how unlikely it was. How unlikely it was that he was even going to be able to defeat King.

Gordon made his way back up the stairs, pausing to look at Mary. "You should've ran," he mumbled as he passed her. She wasn't dead, but she'll wish she was when he came back for her. And then he continued on his way to Masrani's office.

XXX

Saber had quickened her pace when she realized how far away the docks were from Main Street. She didn't want to burn too much energy, so she settled on a trot. Gordon had said that King heavily implied that his trump card was _another_ dinosaur.

Which is why Saber didn't understand why King though he could win. She was the ultimate predator. At fifty feet long, she was larger than both a T-Rex and a Spinosaurus. And she was more intelligent than both of them put together. Whatever dinosaur King had in store would fall short of her.

She was perfect. She was better than just the queen of this island, she was the goddess in charge. Even the humans were wary of her. The only human who had never been afraid had been Gordon.

She snorted to herself when she remembered how the two of them met. She had learned the hard way that Gordon was much stronger than she was. When he forced her to the ground, despite her protests and struggles. It was the only real hiccup in their relationship.

As she continued down the path to the docks, Saber realized that it might not be another dinosaur. It may be some miracle of human evolution, like a tank. Could she destroy a tank? She didn't know much about the outside world besides what Gordon had told her, but she did remember him saying she was designed to take on tanks.

Her scales were difficult to penetrate and she was a relatively small target and fast moving. If she was designed to fight tanks, then she should have no problem dealing with whatever King would throw at her. Machine or dinosaur, she'd destroy them both.

She arrived at the docks just shy of noon. She noticed a large crowd of people gathering around something, but Saber couldn't make out what it was. Deciding to wait until she could determine who her opponent was, she hunkered down, shushing the Raptors, and camouflaged into the brush.

Now invisible, she observed the group of people. There seemed to be about a dozen of them. Four were holding chains in their hands, chains that led into the center of the group where Saber couldn't see.

Growling to herself, she switched to her infrared vision. It was difficult to make out, but there was definitely something cold in the center of the human mass. It was cold even in the seventy degree weather.

And it had a vague human shape. Whatever it was, it looked up slightly and seemed to stare at Saber. Taking a light step backwards in shock, Saber deactivated her heat vision and dropped even lower to the ground, stalling her breathing to help hide herself.

Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Or at least it wasn't human anymore. _Is that their weapon?_ Saber thought to herself. _Why is it in chains?_ Deciding that it still wasn't the right time to act, she stayed still. The strange being lower its head once again, no longer aware of its surroundings. Saber wasn't so sure that she had evaded its detection.

Nearly all of the men present were wearing sailor uniforms of some sort. One of them with a fancy hat, obviously the captain, was talking to the only other person there who wasn't clearly a sailor. It was a strange man in a black suit that Saber had never seen before.

The man was about the same height and had similar body shape to King, but the hair cut was different and King preferred gray suits. The man in the black suit was speaking casually to the captain, with one hand firmly inside of his jacket.

Saber rose an eye ridge in confusion as the man pulled a simple pistol from his jacket and killed the captain. The captain let out a scream of pain as he collapsed to the ground. The man then turned on all of the other sailors present, shooting them one-by-one.

Even the ones trying to run were shot in the back. Blood leaked from the dead or dying bodies, causing Saber to unconsciously rub her tongue on the roof of her mouth. She was secretly glad her bloodlust was still present in her mind. She would likely have to call on it to win this fight.

After most of the sailors bled out or passed out from the pain, the man in the black suit stepped out of Saber's way, allowing her to see what he was hiding. It was a young girl, no older than ten. The girl had long brown hair, but gray was clearly seeping through.

Saber was no expert on humans, but she knew gray hair was a sign of age in humans. Gordon had started to get gray hairs when he first encountered King, what had this little girl gone through in her life to earn gray hairs of her own?

The man in the black suit callously approached the still breathing captain. He mercilessly fired another bullet into the captain's skull, ending his suffering. The man rummaged through the captain's pockets, finally producing a key.

Saber cocked her head in confusion as she stared at the little girl. Despite the men holding her chains being dead, she did not run. It seemed as if her arms and legs were restricted in such a fashion that she couldn't even move. It looked like she even had trouble standing in the restrictive bindings. But Saber could not feel even a drop of pity for the girl.

The man approached the girl and started to undo her chains. He started with the one encasing her head. As soon as the piece was removed, Saber's lip curled upwards. The head piece was emitting a tiny, shrill shriek just like the boxes Dr. Freeman had deemed AED's.

The little girl looked up again, at the man. Her eyes were a pale, faded violet, but violet none-the-less. Saber snarled, she was psychic; the headdress acted as a mini AED. A way to suppress her power without killing or harming her.

The man suddenly froze and was forced to the ground, bowing at the girl's feet. The girl's faded eyes sharpened slightly as she glared at the man. She had quickly shaken off the after-affects of the headdress and immediately attacked her savior.

"Hey, hey, hey! Remember the deal, remember the deal!" the man cried out. The girl continued to glare at him, but let him stand up. The man brushed his suit quickly and straightened his tie. "Thank you. You know that this deal is more beneficial for you than it is for me, there's no need to attack me."

The girl remain quiet as the man went about freeing her hands. The first cuff was opened and then the second, but her arms sill could not move. He moved on to her legs next, freeing each foot. Then he went up her body, unclasping the locks holding her legs together and a single plate that wrapped around her torso. It looked extremely uncomfortable.

He then unlocked the ring around her neck. The neck brace seemed to be holding all of the other chains up, as when that final piece was unlocked, all of the chains fell to the ground around her. She immediately collapsed to the ground in a heap. She obviously wasn't standing because she wanted to, the chain were keeping her upright.

"Don't give me that look. Just take control of _it_ and let it run rampant on Jurassic World. Then you and I can get as far away from your father as possible," the man said, helping the girl to her feet. The girl gave an exasperated sigh as she stood.

 _Her father?_ Saber thought to herself, _what kind of monster locks up their own daughter?_ Saber smirked to herself when she realized the irony of that statement. For the very same thing had happened to her.

Wu had created her with his own DNA, ergo, he _is_ her father. And he locked her up in a cage for eternity with nothing but her sister. But when the other monsters came to beat and torture them, deny them food and sleep, she did the unthinkable. She ate her own sister and cursed at her father for all that he had done to them.

It was why she escaped. She wanted to leave the park in ruins just as father had left her and her sister in ruins. _Oh how the times change us,_ Saber thought bitterly. She was no longer attempting to destroy the park, but save it instead. Perhaps that was the true irony?

Or perhaps it was just Stockholm Syndrome. Gordon had once said that all her years of solitude and torture could do that to her. In either case, she resisted the urge to leap from cover and announce a change in sides. She could not surrender now. She could not give in.

 _So you understand too, don't you?_ A small voice said in her head. It was soft and clearly had been rarely used. Saber, still camouflaged, looked out towards the little girl to see her staring at where she was hidden. _Perhaps we can save each other?_

 _Do you wish upon death?_ Saber asked through the new link that had been forged between them. Although the girl felt strong, she was nowhere near Gordon's strength... and would be unlikely to take control of her.

 _I'm not sure... but I feel that I must ask you the same. Do you wish upon death?_

 _No._

 _Then you should run away. If you are afraid, I understand. You cannot possibly hope to compete with father,_ the soft little voice said. No matter how threatening her words sounded, she could not hope to mean them. It sounded as if the little girl was crying inside. Maybe on the outside too.

The man in the black suit took the girl's hand and helped her onto the ship. They disappeared from Saber's line of sight, but she could still track them with her infrared vision. Until it suddenly seemed to short out. As if it had been unplugged from her brain.

 _Am I afraid?_ Saber thought to herself, trying to understand what had happened to her. Was this a product of fear or was the little girl messing with her? She growled lowly, unable to determine what had happened to her infrared vision.

" _You are the most important piece to me. If you can walk away, alive and well, then that means that I have won."_

Saber gritted her teeth hard as she remembered what Gordon had told her. Was she really that important to him? So important that he'd lay down his life for hers? She didn't think that to be true. She didn't want that to be true.

It was a single throb in the back of her head that reminded her that Gordon mattered to her as well. To her, he was the most important piece. If he threw his life away for hers, she would never forgive herself.

She wondered if he knew that. She didn't want to be the most precious piece, it would mean that she had value. It went against everything that she knew. Everyone had thought she was a worthless experiment for her entire life, and then suddenly Gordon comes along and changes all of that.

Was she happy? Was she sad? Did she want this? She didn't, couldn't, know. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. As she grappled with herself, a loud clang sounded throughout the belly of the ship.

Saber shook her head hard, startling the Raptors on her back. They jumped down off of her and readied the charge. It would be a simple set up. She would charge in flanked by two Raptors while the other two prepared an ambush. Now was not the time for an existential crisis.

A loud **ROAR** could be heard, much closer to the exit of the ship. Saber readied herself, her camouflage bleeding away, leaving her white scales in their wake. She flexed her talons as she heard stomping on the metal deck of the ship.

She burst from the brush, two Raptors following her, and headed to meet this threat. _So it was a dinosaur and a psychic together, huh?_ Saber thought to herself. The stomping got louder as Saber made it into position.

 _If you aren't going to run, then I... will... have... to... kill... you..._ the soft voice said. Saber felt the familiar feeling of someone breaking the bridge between two minds. The little girl left her head to focus on the fight ahead.

 _You should've stayed in my head, at least give yourself a fighting chance,_ Saber grinned maliciously. But the little girl wanted an even playing field, and if she knew she couldn't control Saber, then there was no point in keeping her mind only half concentrating on controlling whatever dinosaur that they brought.

Saber's stance widened as something big stepped off of the ship. Her eyes widened in shock and awe as she recognized the form. _It_ was her. _It_ was another Indominus Rex.

XXX

Hamada gripped his shotgun tightly as he stepped into the elevator leading into control. He calmly clicked the button that would lead him down. He knew what he had to do, he had his orders. Kill or be killed. It was no longer the time for games.

He clenched one of his fists hard as he waited. He then cracked his knuckles, the ride was nearly over. He had no idea how many enemies there were, but he had to assume everyone with a gun was an enemy. And they would open fire on him the moment he stepped off of the elevator.

He gripped his weapon even tighter as the ride came to an end. Just as the doors began to open, he pumped the shotgun once, drowning out the sound of the elevator doors opening, and pointed the gun at the nearest person.

 **BOOM!** A single shot was all it took for the man's head to explode. The guards were wearing ACU vests, but Hamada did not recognize a single person. That meant that they were likely InGen soldiers brought on to balance out their losses facing Dracul.

Hamada rolled into cover just as machine gun fire sprayed into the elevator. Hamada pumped the shotgun, poked his head out, and blew off another guard's head. He ducked back into cover, pumped again, and moved.

He had to keep moving. There were at least a dozen guards and he had only killed two. The guards were starting to close in on his position. One guard got too close, neither of them could use their weapons.

Thinking quickly, Hamada kicked the man as hard as he could in the knee, causing his leg to buckle. Hamada grabbed the man and with a loud _crack_ snapped his neck. He kept moving, firing when he could, throwing the now dead man behind him to act as a type of shield.

Blood splattered the control members, who all watched in awe as Hamada quickly and brutally eliminated all of the guards, using his own gloved hands just as much as his gun. A kick to one of their chests threw them off balance. Plenty of time to pump another shell into their body, ending their life.

There was only one guard left, who was shaking while struggling to reload his clip. Hamada pumped his shotgun, but found that he was out too. Both of them dropped their weapons, the guard raised his fists, but Hamada was already on him.

Hamada ducked low under the clumsy strike and swept the man's feet out from under him. The man hit the ground and Hamada grabbed the man's leg and with a _crack_ pulled it the wrong way. The man tried to retaliate, but Hamada grabbed his arm and snapped it loudly.

The man cried out in pain, but Hamada silenced him by grabbing his head and twisting it cruelly. There was no time for mercy. Hamada sighed as he stood. He ignored all of the blood that had splattered on the floor and on the control members. They were still stock still, trying to comprehend what just happened.

Hamada grimaced when he saw he had gotten more than a few drops of blood on his shirt. It was stained. He picked up his gun, but heard rustling behind him. He whirled around to see a member of control lunge at him with a knife.

Coldly, he gripped the man's arm and twisted it until he dropped the knife. He dragged the man over top of his desk and planted him so his head was against the edge of the desk. He pulled the man's arm back until it popped and hung loose at his side.

The man struggled and managed to turn around partially, but Hamada was counting on that. He grabbed the man's head and slammed it against the edge of the desk, shattering his skull. Red now coated Hamada's gloves so he abandoned them. No one would be using that desk for awhile.

He approached the front of control, looking for Lowery. Lowery seemed to unfreeze and breath a sigh of relief when he saw Hamada. Lowery grimaced when he became aware of the brutality and one of his dead coworkers.

"Any particular reason you killed Steve?" Lowery asked. Steve didn't look like he had been shot accidentally.

"He lunged at me with a knife. He was probably a mole for King, a fail-safe incase something like this happened. It didn't work," Hamada said bluntly.

Lowery started to say something, but stopped. He shook his head, he would worry about all of the blood later. At least he wasn't coated in it like Vivian was. "Tell Dr. Freeman we at Control say thanks."

"Release Dracul," Hamada commanded.

Lowery raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Release Dracul," Hamada repeated.

"Um, bad idea Mr. ex-commander. Remember when that thing escaped and wiped out half of ACU? Releasing it now is a bad idea-"

"You've already released the Spino-Rex, haven't you? Perhaps they'll fight each other to the death. Wouldn't you rather face the smaller one?" Hamada recommended.

Lowery paused, considering what Hamada had said, "Fine. But don't blame me when this all goes to hell."

"It will whether you do or don't," Hamada said, walking away from the bloodbath, pushing shells into the empty shotgun. He would run around the Innovation Center and try to dispatch as many InGen soldiers as he could before meeting up with Dr. Freeman after he defeated King.

Hamada stepped into the elevator and hit the up button. He pumped his shotgun before the doors closed. As soon as he was gone, Lowery commented, "I think I would rather deal with the Spino-Rex, he doesn't scare me half as much as Dracul does. Dracul is just too tenacious." Vivian let out a wail as she suddenly came to, covered in the aftermath of Hamada's battle against the soldiers.

XXX

 **How's that for a climax? Death and destruction, a battle between Mary (Marie) and Gordon (which Gordon won again, go figure). Now all that's left is the fight between Gordon and King, Saber and this other Indominus, and Dracul and the Spino-Rex... unless Hamada has someone else to fight. So tell me, did any of you think that** _ **it**_ **was going to be another Indominus? I mean, I'll go into more detail next chapter, but did any of you guess? Stay tuned for the next chapter! It might get here sooner than you'd think. Especially if I have the entire weekend to work on it. It's Labor Day on Monday, so that means no classes.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27 - Druxy:

Author's Note:

 **And yet another one. We're getting closer and closer to the end, people. Are you ready? Yes? Alright, let's keep going then. Enjoy!**

XXX

Masrani wasn't in his office. Gordon's eyes narrowed when he detected signs of a struggle. Scratches were put into the expensive mahogany desk. Several items had been clearly shifted around, as if they had been knocked off the desk and placed back in the wrong place.

But it was so obvious, Gordon knew that it was done intentionally. King was baiting him. He had taken Masrani captive, that was blatant, but where did he go? Gordon didn't have time to scour the entire building, and if King had his AED on, then there was no way Gordon could detect him.

Gordon's expression darkened as he pondered the most efficient way to look for King. It was at that moment he heard a radio crackle. He glanced around the room to see Masrani's radio laying on the floor, just to the left of the door.

It had clearly been placed there intentionally. Gordon walked over and picked up the fallen radio. He pressed the button down, "Where are you?" he hissed.

"No need to be rude, what's the fun in not telling you?" King's voice sounded on the other end. "And it's more of a question of when," he continued.

"When?" Gordon asked.

"Do you remember when you came to this island?" King ignored Gordon and went off on his own tangent. "I do, ironically the same time I was made InGen CEO."

"And your point is?"

"I felt that... since we missed each other's orientations, perhaps we could attend them now, together," Gordon could hear his sinister grin on the other side of the radio.

The radio went dead, Gordon dropped it to the ground. There was only one place orientation for new employees was held, in the main auditorium. Gordon sighed in annoyance, it was back on the first floor.

He made his way out of Masrani's office and back down the stairs. There was no doubt that there was some catch. King would be expecting him. Gordon had to be on his toes for potential traps.

Dr. Freeman finished descending the stairs and took the one path that neither he nor Hamada had taken. He hadn't been down this way in months. The hallway came to and end with two large double doors blocking the path.

He knew that there was a small room on the other side of the hallway before it lead out into the auditorium. He cast his mind into the room before him, but could not detect anything. Shaking his head, he opened the double doors and was met with a blinding light.

He shielded his eyes, he had not been expecting there to be this much light. Just as his eyes adjusted, he heard the tell-tale click of a gun against his head. _Damn it,_ he cursed under his breath. On the other side of the small room stood King.

A smug grin was present on his face, "And thus I have caught the monster," he taunted. The man with the gun pressed it harder against the good doctor's head, forcing him to the ground.

"Where's Masrani?" Gordon asked, unconcerned about the gun to his head.

King waved his question off, "Not here, obviously." He approached Gordon slowly, seemingly savoring his victory. "This ending is boring, isn't it? I didn't think you'd fall right into the trap like this."

"You keep saying that. Don't tell me that all you care about is _having a good time_ ," Gordon hissed.

King grinned, "All my life I've been searching for distractions... you were the best distraction I've ever had, but now I don't even have you." He sighed and bent down on Gordon's level. "Because I've beaten you. And you know what? It was easy... it was easy." He chuckled quietly.

"So what? Are you just going to shoot me? I thought you said that I was not worth taking," Gordon argued.

"Now that's not quite true, I said that you were a sacrificial piece that lead into a trap. I never said that I wouldn't come back for you after I killed the king," King sighed.

"So you're just going to keep me alive until you've won... and then you'll destroy me?"

"Exactly," King grinned, standing up straight again. "How does it feel, knowing that you've lead your dear Saber to her doom?"

Gordon remained silent. "That's right, you don't know. You think Saber is the only Indominus in the world? Wrong. I have one too, but _mine is bigger_ ," he sang mockingly.

Gordon glared at King, but continued to give him the silent treatment. "I know that look. It's not going to work, you know. I know that you've released Dracul, do you think he can beat the much, much bigger Spino-Rex? You've lead him to his death too."

King threw his hands up, laughing, "All I have to do is kill the humans. Then it's over. Along with all of the _innocent_ civilian lives lost, Jurassic World will fall, permanently." King continued laughing as he approached the door to the auditorium.

 _Masrani must be in there,_ Gordon realized, continuing to glare at King. "Do you remember the first time we met?" King asked, unconcerned with Gordon's glaring.

"It was only a few days ago, how could I forget?" Gordon growled.

"No, the _first_ time. Well, I guess I can't expect you to remember that, it _was_ a decade ago," King said. Gordon remained silent as he tried to recall what King was talking about. "Or perhaps you don't remember me, but rather my wife. She _was_ the one to hire you, after all."

Gordon's eyes widened in understanding, "She was the dean of Cal-tech?"

"So you do remember. She was interested in your thesis, Dr. Freeman, so she hired you for the psychology department," King said.

"Then..."

"Do you really think your little... _accident_ affected only those in the psychology department?" King said. He had turned completely serious, a dark scowl on his face.

"So I..."

"Yes, you did," King said, leaning down on Gordon's level again. "But I'm not angry about that. She left everything to me, and I used my newfound wealth to become the CEO of InGen."

He paused to grind his teeth together, " _But you turned my daughter into a monster, Dr. Freeman._ " he hissed, standing again. He walked over to the door to the auditorium. He hesitated before opening the door, "And that's something I cannot forgive." And with that, he was gone.

 _Gods who no longer wish to be Gods don't become mortal, they become monsters._

"So that's what happened," Gordon mumbled to himself.

"Hmm?" the man holding the gun to his head said dumbly.

Gordon turned his head slightly to look up at the man before saying, "I'm not sorry." The man just blinked at him. In that briefest of moments, Gordon analyzed his situation.

 _Three men in total, one with a gun to my head, but his finger isn't on the trigger, one a meter and half to my left holding a shotgun but it isn't pointed at me, and the last guy is leaning up against the wall to the right of the door. He is fingering his holstered pistol, but he doesn't seem to be paying much attention,_ Gordon concluded the moment the man holding the gun to his head's eyes opened.

Gordon reacted faster than any normal human, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it to it no longer pointed at his head, rather at the shotgunner. The man holding the gun instinctively fired, not being fast enough to realize he was pointing at his ally.

The single shot ripped through the shotgunner's chest, causing him to drop his weapon and collapse onto the ground in immense pain. He didn't cry out, but he desperately tried to keep blood from pouring out of his wound. Blood still splattered the ground, painting it red.

Gordon stood in one smooth motion and pulled the man in front of him to act as a shield. The man standing next to the door had just pulled out his weapon and began firing at Gordon, but was unable to hit him, only hitting Gordon's now dead shield.

Once the man's clip was empty, Gordon wrenched the gun from his former shield's still warm, dead hands and fired a single shot into the other man's head. A small hole was left where the bullet entered and the man collapsed onto the ground. Gordon then let his former shield fall to the floor as well.

Dr. Freeman approached the fallen shotgunner slowly, leaning down so that he was on his level. To the man's credit, he was not weeping, but he was shaking terribly. Gordon thought for a moment before deciding, "King wanted me to escape. Otherwise he wouldn't have made it so easy."

The man just let out a groan, causing Gordon to shake his head. "See, chess doesn't prepare you for this. You can't say that a rook and three pawns flanked your knight, but he laid down suppressing fire and punched through anyways. You'd get disqualified if you tried that! Maybe I've been disqualified from reality," Gordon mumbled.

The man continued to tremble as Gordon put the gun against his head. And with a single shot, it was over. Sighing, Gordon stood and held onto the gun. He figured that he might need it. He walked up to the door to the auditorium, and prepared to release his full power.

XXX

Hamada made his way throughout the Innovation Center. He quickly and effectively eliminated every single InGen employee that he found. He was tired of all of this. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were.

When he was commander of ACU. He knew that it was King who had pushed for him to be removed. Probably because Hamada would never allow a single InGen soldier on Jurassic World's ACU, no matter what Masrani said.

Pump, fire. Pump, fire. Pump, fire. Over and over again. Hamada must've killed at least twenty people by now. The rhythmic feeling of using his shotgun was slowly hypnotizing him. He had a groove going, so much so that he nearly fired at someone that he recognized.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold it!" the man said, dropping his weapon and holding his hands up. "Commander Hamada?" the man said, squinting as if he was struggling to recognize the man.

Hamada recognized this soldier, it was Dan. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder and said, "I'm no longer your commander."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were booted off the island," Dan asked.

Hamada tried to think of the best way to explain what was going on. Was it a good idea to let them in on what King was doing? "It's... classified. You just need to know that I'm helping the park. What are you doing here?" Hamada asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dan opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by someone yelling something while running down the hallway they were in. "Dan, Dan! I found dead bodies the terrorist-" a female ACU soldier said, running up to the duo, "Must... already... be... here... Commander Hamada?" she said.

Hamada looked at her, trying to remember if he had seen her before. "Ah, Rebi. Yeah, it's Hamada alright," Dan said.

Rebecca glared at Dan, causing him to flinch, "Don't call me that," she said coldly. She walked up beside Dan and addressed Hamada directly, "What are you doing here?"

"He's saving the park, apparently," Dan answered before Hamada could.

"Oh, are you hunting the terrorist too?"

Hamada raised an eyebrow, "What terrorist?"

"The one that's trying to blow up the Innovation Center. The same one that burned down the lab," Rebecca explained. Dan nodded, but didn't cut in.

"And who told you this?"

"Um... we got an anonymous tip about an imminent terrorist attack on the Innovation Center, so King and Masrani agreed to have ACU patrol the building looking for suspicious persons. That's why the Center was closed for today, despite the number of guests present," Dan explained.

Hamada sighed and said, "The only terrorist on this island is King. He's the one who burned down the labs, he's the one that's the threat to Jurassic World. He's lied to you. I've been killing all of his employees, he's already released the Spino-Rex and there's no doubt he's aiming to shut the park down."

Dan and Rebecca looked shocked, "Seriously?" they said at the same time.

"Affirmative. You need to find all of the real ACU soldiers and get them out of here, I'll take care of the rest." They did not hesitate to salute Hamada and immediately set off to complete their assignment.

 _At least I won't have to worry about targeting the wrong people,_ Hamada rationed before setting off again. This time he went towards the upper levels. Pump, fire. Pump, fire. Pump, fire. Again and again he repeated the same action, once again falling into a type of rhythm.

He made it to Claire's office. She was on the floor below Masrani, but she had her own little space. He had never been in Claire's office before. He heard a crash and immediately assumed the worst.

He threw the door open and his eyes widened when he saw what was going on. Claire was on the ground, bleeding from a cut on her arm. A tall man was looming over her, wielding a large knife. He looked poised to strike, so Hamada did the only thing he could.

He fired at the man. He knew it was risky, Claire could get hit, but was the only thing he could think of. Thankfully, Claire was not hit by the slug, but the tall man now had a baseball sized hole in his back. But he did not fall down.

Hamada narrowed his eyes when the tall man turned around slowly, brandishing his knife. He looked completely unperturbed by the hole in his back. Was he wearing a vest? Hamada couldn't be sure, so he pumped again and aimed for the tall man's head.

Except he found that he had nothing left to load into the gun. He was completely out of bullets. And the tall man was holding a knife. The tall man took one look at Hamada and forgot about Claire, approaching the now defenseless ex-commander. Hamada dropped the gun and raised his fists, he wasn't quite defenseless.

As the tall man approached, Hamada got a sense of how outclassed he really was. The Native American man was at least a foot and a half taller than him. Even without the knife, Hamada stood very little chance against the bear of a man.

The tall man wordlessly raised his weapon and prepared to strike and Hamada prepared to dodge out of the way. Just as the man was bring the knife down, something... happened. Hamada had no real words for what had happened, it was... _something_.

They both froze in their movements as _something_ was released. Hamada had no idea what, and the tall man seemed to be just as petrified as he was. So terrified that the man dropped his knife and took a step back.

The air became heavy and breathing became difficult. Panic set in as Hamada took quick breaths to try and remain conscious. Claire seemed to be dealing with similar effects, her sobbing became more like choking.

The tall man gripped his head and collapsed to his knees, Hamada did the same. Whatever was happening, it was going to kill all of them. At least that's what Hamada thought until the buzzing panic in his mind cleared. He could feel his mind sharpening as something was _released_ within his mind.

Information bolted through his mind faster than he thought he could comprehend, and yet, he understood perfectly. Air filled his lungs as he stood. It was an intense relief, one that the tall man didn't seem to be sharing.

He still knelt on the ground, clutching his head. Hamada clenched his fist and did the only thing he could. He threw a strong punch, connecting with the man's jaw. Whatever had happened, he felt faster, stronger, and more powerful than ever.

XXX

Saber stared as the Indominus stepped off of the ship. It's scales were darker than hers, but there was no doubt that it was another Indominus. The Raptors bounced nervously behind her as they surveyed the new threat.

Saber's confusion grew into excitement as she continued to stare at the Indominus. _I'm not alone,_ the thought reverberated deep within her. She wondered if the new Indominus was male. Maybe...

 _No,_ she shook her head. This was her enemy. She couldn't let her bloodlust go just because she was fighting a familiar face. Perhaps she could at least try communicating with it. Maybe she could convince it to switch sides. Maybe Gordon would let it stay. Maybe...

 _"_ _What is your name?"_ Saber called out to the other Indominus. There was no way Gordon would allow this other Indominus to stay. It was an enemy.

The other Indominus did not respond. Saber tilted her head in confusion, _"What is your name?"_ she repeated. Perhaps it did not hear her. She didn't want to face the idea of it not being able to understand her... or refusing to talk to her.

Again the other Indominus remained silent. It shifted itself into what Saber assumed was an attack position. _It is an enemy,_ Saber kept repeating to herself. It wanted to fight. It didn't want to talk.

Saber growled, _"Fine then. If it's fight you want, it's fight you'll get!"_ With a roar, she rushed into combat. The other Indominus did the same. The first thing Saber noticed about the Indominus once she had gotten close enough, was that it was _much bigger than she was._ The slight panic that she felt almost made her lose immediately.

The other Indominus went straight for her throat, trying to end the fight in a single move. Thankfully, Saber caught the simple move and responded by smashing her head into the larger Indominus'. A loud _clap_ echoed throughout the docks, but the only ones who were there to hear it was Saber, her pack, and her opponent.

Besides her opponent's massive size, was the shape of its jaws. Its jaws were slimmer than Saber's, they looked more like they were for fishing. And its teeth weren't quite as crooked and jagged, they were uniform. They curved inwards like large hooks. And its jaws weren't crooked like Saber's.

No matter how many times she begged Gordon to have someone look at her teeth, all of the dentists at Jurassic World refused. Her jaw ached constantly until she finished growing, by that point she had gotten used to her crooked jaw.

Cruel claws dug into her side. She had been distracted by observing her opponent and had paid the consequences. She roared in pain and retaliated in kind, scoring her claws down its side. Two things she became aware of at that moment.

Although her claws were longer and sharper, its were fairly short and looked dull, its skin was thicker. Her claws still tore through its armor, leaving blood to leak down its side. She didn't cut deep enough to be fatal, but at least it opened wounds for her pack to attack.

Speaking of her pack, the two behind her had leapt forward, attacking the other Indominus' legs, trying to get it to stumble. They were having a hell of a time trying to bite through its thick skin. Blue and Delta, the Raptors who had flanked the other Indominus and were waiting for the signal to attack, had spotted the open wound and knew where to attack.

Saber latched her jaws around the other Indominus' neck and bit down as hard as she could. She could taste the blood pouring from the new wound, but the other Indominus made no sounds of pain. Was she not hurting it?

The other Indominus looked up quickly, surprising Saber, and then wrenched its neck free. Turning hard, the other Indominus smacked Saber with its tail. Saber stumbled back with a yelp as the other Indominus, still ignoring the Raptors attached to its legs, rushed towards Saber.

Its jaws closed around her neck, and she could feel the pressure increasing quickly. But the wound only ached. The curved teeth, although firmly latched into her scales, weren't quite cutting deep enough to make her bleed. Saber snorted, the other Indominus had a much weaker bite force than she did.

She struggled, trying to free herself, but found her head thoroughly stuck. Growling obscenities to herself, she let out a loud bark signaling for Blue and Delta to attack. They burst from the brush, shrieking as they did, and jumped on the other Indominus' back.

Blue went right for the open wound, digging her claws in the wound and tried to open it further. Delta tried to find a foothold on the beast's back, but there were three strange ridges that made it difficult to hang on to. The ridges looked like mini sails, and were covered in spikes of various sizes, just like Saber's back.

The other Indominus continued to ignore the Raptors and focus solely on Saber. It twisted its jaws, grinding into Saber's flesh. Although she still wasn't bleeding, the grinding motion hurt like hell. She let out a wail, telling the Raptors to help her.

Charlie and Echo gave up attacking the legs and tried to find a place to latch onto the beast's neck. Meanwhile, Saber could feel something grab her jaws and clamp them shut. It was the other Indominus! It had grabbed her head and was starting to twist it the wrong way.

Saber panicked and started to thrash, hoping to delay the inevitable. Just before the sickening snap could be heard, Charlie leapt up onto the other Indominus' head and jammed her sickle claw into its eye.

The beast let out no sounds of pain, but its jaws did loosen in surprise. Taking the opportunity, Saber broke free from its grasp and rammed the beast as hard as she could, causing it to stumble. She locked her jaws once more around the other Indominus' throat and bit down as hard as she could.

Blood seeped from the wound as the other Indominus struggled to free itself. She managed to force the beast down onto the ground as she shook her head, tearing free the flesh from its neck. Panting heavily, she stared at the Indominus as it spasmed and went still.

Thankfully, none of her pack had been harmed when she forced the beast to the ground. They looked pleased with themselves, without them, Saber would've surely failed. Chittering to her pack, she ordered them to follow her. She was going to go back and help Dr. Freeman.

She turned and began to make her way away from the docks, her job finished. She had won without taking any major damage. She was quite proud of herself, actually. Just as she was about to leave the docking area, she felt something grab a hold of her leg.

 _Impossible!_ Saber thought as she turned her head to see the still alive Indominus Rex gripping her leg in its jaws. She swore to herself when it pulled back violently, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She landed hard on her side, so hard that she could swear she heard one of her ribs crack. _I can't breath!_ She realized, starting to panic again. He leg was heavily injured and one of her ribs was definitely broken.

The Raptors screeched in outrage, attacking the other Indominus. But it was ready for them. It no longer saw them as annoyances, they were now the beings that kept it from making a clean kill. The Raptors darted around the monster, trying to confuse it, but it failed completely.

Swinging its tail, Delta was smacked into a tree so hard that she passed out. Jaws closed around Echo, squeezing hard until there was a _pop_ and the Raptor moved no more. Cruel claws slashed at Charlie, sending her sprawling onto the pavement on her side, unable to get up.

Blue snarled at the Indominus and flanked it, searching for the wound again. But the Indominus was prepared for that, as it turned to meet Blue head on. It grabbed Blue in its jaws and threw her as hard as it could. Blue tumbled across the blacktop and laid still.

Snorting to itself, the other Indominus approached Saber to finish her off. It crawled over top of her and once again grabbed her neck, preparing to snap it. Saber struggled to release herself, but without the Raptors, she couldn't do much. _I can't breath,_ she kept repeating again and again.

 _Is this how I die?_ She thought to herself. After all she had been through, she meets her end, not by the cruel hand of men or the overbearing void of loneliness or even the eventual price all beings paid, but by the claws and jaws of some faux Indominus.

She had realized it too late. The Indominus she saw was a mere imitation. A fake. It had clearly been crossed with a Spinosaurus, and artificially grown. It was nowhere near as intelligent as she was, as if it was just a puppet. Even its eyes weren't quite crimson like hers, they were a deep blood color, as if they were violence personified.

Just as Saber was about to give in, _something_ happened. She had no idea what it was, but it was powerful. It clearly shocked the other Indominus as it let go and took a few steps backwards in fear. A vicious grin presented itself when Saber understood what this _something_ was.

It was a great sea of alpha waves. Immense and heavy, large enough to encompass the entirety of the island. It felt alien, it felt unreal, it felt familiar to Saber. She knew of only one being that could produce alpha waves on a level even above her own, several, several times the amount and quality she could ever produce.

It was Dr. Freeman... he had released his true strength. Something that Saber knew that he hesitated to do. His mere presence was enough to fell even humans when he released his full strength. Even from this far away, he could kill her, the other Indominus, all of the Raptors, the man in the black suit, and even the little psychic girl all at once.

He was a monster above all others. Even above her and this abomination before her. Above King and everyone else. Dr. Freeman is, for lack of a better term... a demon in disguise. And she had never truly understood it until now.

She deluded herself in believing that she could handle his full strength, when in actuality, he had been able to force her to the ground with only a tenth of his maximum power. Now that he released his restraints, he would be unstoppable. But it came with its setbacks.

For one thing, nothing smaller than a large dog could be anywhere within range of his power, lest they die immediately. And she knew that he was hyper sensitive to each death around him. She wondered if the screaming boxes would be able to contain that much power. She doubted it.

 _I wonder what made him decide to fight for real?_ Saber pondered as she stood. She staggered, but did not fall. She lunged at her foe, deciding that she was done dancing this dance. If the good doctor was going to fight for real, so would she.

XXX

King chuckled to himself as he approached the stage in the auditorium. Masrani sat in a chair in the center of the stage. King had the decency not to tie the man up, but there were two guards armed with shotguns on both sides of Masrani.

King waved his hand and a large projector screen descended from the above the stage. King made his way onto the stage and stopped in front of Masrani. "Well, what do you think?" he said, raising his arms and gesturing to nothing in particular.

"What am I supposed to think?" Masrani said calmly. He had no idea why King had taken him from his office, lead him down to the auditorium, sat him in a chair, and pointed guns at his head.

"Of this little set up. It's brilliant, isn't it?"

Masrani stared at the clearly delusional King, before saying, "What's going on? Why am I being held hostage?"

King sighed, "That's right. You're not in the loop. Well, it'd be no fun if you had no idea what this was all for." King grabbed a spare chair near the front of the stage and swung it around so that its back was facing Masrani. He grinned as he sat down.

"What am I doing? I'm destroying Jurassic World. Why are you being held hostage? Because you must die. You are one of the many pieces that makes up the king," King explained.

Masrani's eyes widened, "What?" he started to panic.

"But you aren't going to die yet. I have a show to put on first, one that I think you will like. We're just waiting on one very important viewer. Tell me, Masrani, what do you think of Dr. Freeman?" King asked.

Masrani thought for a moment, "He's a good employee, he really cares for the Indominus." In truth, Masrani didn't get to speak much with the good doctor. Besides knowing that he played piano, Masrani knew next to nothing about the man.

"I had a feeling that you would say that. You found him during an excursion to Germany, correct?" King did not wait for Masrani's response. "Did you ever wonder what he was doing there? He told you that he was a professor at Cal-tech and that he got his degrees from Harvard, so why was he in Germany?"

Masrani thought for a moment, "I don't know."

"He was running from something, something terrible that he once did," King explained. "He wears the guise of a man, but I never thought of him as one, or even as a psychic, for that matter. He is king and castle both."

 _Psychic?_ Masrani thought. "Ah, he never told you about that, did he?" King grinned. Masrani shook his head. He had no idea Dr. Freeman was harboring such a secret.

"How do you know all of this?" Masrani asked.

"Because I have been pursuing him for so long. I am the thing he runs from, I am the truth. What cost, victory? What ploy will leave him in the dust? These thoughts run through my mind every waking moment... thoughts of him even invade my dreams leaving me crying out for bloodshed!" King laughed maniacally. "And now, at long last, our war has dawned!"

"You're just a monster," Masrani snarled. He stood up and prepared to walk away from the clearly insane King, but a single shot fired into the air had him sitting back down.

"Monster? You think me to be a monster? Perhaps... perhaps I am a monster," King mused. "But how do you think I became like this? How about I tell you the story of how I became such a monster."

Masrani glared at King, but he ignored the man and launched into a spiel that he had clearly rehearsed before, "I remember hunting down a monster. _You lack vision,_ it said. So I sought more eyes to find it. _You shall never catch me,_ it taunted. So I found more hands to grasp it. _I no longer hear you,_ it whispered. So I took more mouths to scream with. _It was silent._ So I stole more ears to listen. _Then I found it_ , and used all of my teeth to kill it. After, I remember being hunted like a monster. _You lack vision,_ I said, and used all my legs to run."

Masrani stared blankly at King, not quite understanding what he was talking about. King frowned and looked extremely disappointed, " _He_ would understand if I told him," he sighed. The grin returned to his face as he stood and moved the chair to the side again.

"Telepathy is _brilliant!_ It allows you to quaff another's memories like a vintage ice wine and steal everything that defines them. Mein Herz, meine seele, mein leben, they belong to me. Sharing one's life with another, and they with you, to lose the borders of oneself in the great sanguine sea! To gain by losing, what a delicious irony! It is the bliss of acquiescence... it is the bliss of... surrender," King claimed.

He turned around so that his back was to Masrani and faced the door just as it opened. "You are ruin, made flesh, made beautiful. You are loved, so I despise you! That's why you are my foe, my dazzling doctor. You are a thing most precious: a worthy opponent."

Dr. Freeman entered the room with an unimpressed look on his face. He stared at King and looked behind him to see Masrani sitting down with two guns against his head. "It took you three and a half minutes to free yourself. I'm disappointed, you nearly missed the show," King grinned.

King waved his hand again and the projector screen lit up. _Saber!_ Gordon recognized the Indominus on the screen. There was a hidden camera observing the docks, and the fight between the two Indomini were about to begin.

The two goliaths collided into each other, the Raptors giving as much help as they could. "Yes, your precious Saber and my own Indominus, fighting to the death. Sit, stay awhile," King laughed.

Gordon let a snarl pass his lips as he raised his gun to point it at King. King only grinned and gestured to Masrani, "Put the gun down unless you want him to lose his head." Gordon growled, but lowered his weapon.

"Oh, look at that. You fight for more than just her. You've been lying to yourself, Dr. Freeman. You find this place as much as your home as it is hers," King taunted. He turned to watch the screen. They all heard the loud _clap_ as the Indomini slammed their heads together.

Gordon smirked viciously as Saber tore the other Indominus' throat out. The larger beast toppled to the ground and Saber began to walk away. "Well look at that, it would seem as if mine is stronger," Gordon noted.

King snorted, "Hardly. What you see there is little more than a puppet. It cannot be killed by blood loss... you'll have to destroy its brain." As the words left his mouth, the other Indominus leapt from the ground and latched onto Saber's leg.

Gordon watched, panic rising, as each Raptor was seemingly killed and the other Indominus had its jaws around Saber. King smirked and turned to Masrani, "He'll have no choice but to release his final restrictions and let loose his true strength. At last, he'll stand alone atop the battlements!"

Gordon dropped the gun completely, his pupils shrunk as he licked his lips. "True strength, huh?" The atmosphere quickly began to change. It grew heavy as if they were all thrust to the bottom of the ocean.

Being this close to the good doctor as he released his true strength was suicidal. They were plunged into an abyss as Gordon's presence grew not only stronger, but larger as well. In a single second, he had consumed the entire Innovation Center with his consciousness, and he continued towards consuming the entire island.

His glasses started to crack from the sheer force of the alpha waves emitting from his body. They soon shattered and fell to the ground, they weren't needed anymore. Gordon felt as his mind expanded to its fullest. It had been over five years since he had let himself go like this.

He felt creatures of different sizes drop dead by just being within his bubble of power. Every single baby animal in the petting zoo dropped to the ground, never to move again. Gordon ignored those deaths and focused his full power instead on King. The screen crackled just as Saber stood up and shorted out not a second later. The two guards next to Masrani started to leak blood from every orifice as they collapsed to the ground, dead.

Gordon slowly and deliberately walked towards King, his full being bearing down on the man. "The AED is having no effect on you anymore, is it?" King managed to sputter out as he was forced to the ground. Despite his current predicament, he was grinning like a madman.

Gordon's eyes began to bleed from the AED and his full strength, but besides that he seemed to be ignoring the small shrieking box. The AED was the only reason King wasn't dying. But Gordon didn't want King to die.

He only wanted to force the man to submit. Then he would be forced to end this petty war. Gordon glanced at Masrani, who had fallen out of his chair from the sheer force of Gordon's alpha waves.

He looked absolutely terrified by the good doctor. And for good reason. Without his glasses, Gordon's violet eyes were like intense blazing stars that blinded those who stared for too long. It did not take long for Masrani to pass out.

Gordon leaned down and pulled the AED out of King's pocket. He was still conscious, but he was grinning like a maniac. Like he knew this was going to happen. The good doctor crushed the AED in his hands and grabbed King by the neck, hauling him to his feet.

"Don't you see? You can never compete with me," Gordon hissed in King's ear.

"I... wouldn't be so sure about that," King choked out before he lost consciousness. His eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp in Gordon's grip. Grumbling to himself, Gordon slung King over his shoulder.

He didn't bother to but a damper on his power. He was still in control and hadn't killed any _people_ he didn't want to. He was fully aware of all the animals that had died because of him, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, he had a feeling that he would need his full strength to interrogate King.

Or torture, whichever he preferred to call it. But he was going to torture King until he ended the war. And then he was going to kill the vile little man. Dr. Freeman... had won.

XXX

 **And here we go, yet another one! I really enjoyed writing this one. So much fun... but we all know that the war isn't over until King says it is. Gordon may have captured the king, but is it enough? Saber is still fighting the other Indominus and Hamada is still fighting the tall Native American man. How will those fights end? And, of course, has Gordon really won? All that and more next time, so stay tuned!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 28 – Cromulent:

Author's Note:

 **For those of you concerned about the Raptors in the last chapter, just know that they are currently both alive and dead (heh, Schrodinger's Raptors) because I have yet to decide which ones I want to live and which ones to die. So please, Enjoy!**

XXX

As Dr. Freeman descended the steps of the stage, he concentrated on trying to help Saber. She was still locked in a life or death struggle against the other Indominus, and Dr. Freeman was doing his best to help. Except there was very little he could do from this far away.

Cursing under his breath, he tried once more to breech the mind of the other Indominus. _"What you see there is little more than a puppet,"_ Gordon remembered King saying. Which meant someone had to be controlling it. Another psychic, no doubt.

And from this range, the shield the psychic had put around the puppet Indominus was too strong to break. Dr. Freeman would have to get closer. But first... he would have to deal with King. He headed towards the exit of the auditorium, unconcerned with Masrani's safety.

Masrani had passed out, but would likely regain consciousness when Gordon left the immediate vicinity. Dr. Freeman sighed to himself, he would have a lot of explaining to do when this was all over. He flinched and closed his eyes tightly when that one dark voice in the back of his head spoke.

 _What if you're forced to run again?_

 _Never,_ Gordon growled to himself. He would never abandon Saber... not like he did Marie and her sister. Dr. Freeman's eyes opened slowly to find someone blocking his path. He was relatively surprised to see it was Mary.

She was panting heavily, as if she had just ran a marathon, and she was trembling under the might of Freeman's released state. She had felt the burst of alpha waves while she was still unconscious on the stairs. The initial blast had woken her up.

But as she got closer and closer to the source, she had begun to sweat and shake. And now she stood before the source, doing her best to even remain standing. Dr. Freeman was a mere five meters away from her.

"So you're awake," Gordon observed. He set King down on the ground, not wanting to be weighed down during the inevitable conflict.

"You can't keep me down," Mary glowered at him. She took a deep breath, at least as deep as one as she could, it was very difficult to breath in the auditorium, and waved her hands at the good doctor.

From her fingers, a wave of white fire rushed forth to envelope the good doctor. Gordon did not flinch as the white flames consumed him and hid his figure from her. Mary began to laugh loudly, "How do you like that?! Each time your mind comes into contact with mine, I get _stronger!_ "

Her giggling was silenced as the flames dispersed. She saw Dr. Freeman still standing and in good health, completely unimpressed by her fire. Now that she got a good look at Dr. Freeman, she could see the blood pouring from his eyes.

Unlike regular people, who could only feel Dr. Freeman's immense power, Mary could _see_ it. The violet maelstrom that surrounded the good doctor was dense, like a shield. It was so dense that it was difficult to see the good doctor with her mind, he was just a hazy silhouette.

"It's true that I cannot manipulate the real world as I see fit, but I do not need to. When I let loose my true strength, the density of my alpha waves protect me from harm. Your fire cannot touch me," Gordon said menacingly.

He began to approach the now terrified Mary. She panicked and did the only thing that she could think of, keep trying to burn him. Fire blazed around her and rushed towards the good doctor. But the flames were quenched in his path. Mary began to back up, still blasting fire from her hands, until she hit a wall.

She shrieked in fear when Gordon continued to come closer. She grabbed the only thing she could see with her powers and flung it at him, a garbage can. She then continued to try and set him alight.

The garbage can bounced off Gordon's physical shield and rolled to a stop next to Mary. Gordon took one more step, encasing Mary in his center-most, densest layer of alpha waves. She cried out as her mind was assaulted by Gordon's mere presence.

She halted her fruitless attack and focused everything on defense. She continued to pant heavily as Gordon continued to approach. She cried out as blood dripped down her chin. _I'm bleeding?_ She realized.

At last, Dr. Freeman cornered her against the wall. He stood silent for a moment, letting her struggle under the might of his being. Blood continued to pour from her mouth and her eyes began to bleed. She dropped to the ground, unable to take anymore punishment.

Gordon leaned down so that he was on level with her. She flinched from his presence, "You've been deluding yourself, fool. You couldn't win if you tried a thousand times! In the end, King wasn't strong enough to beat me, and if he couldn't do it, you haven't a chance in Hell. You could face me everyday for a thousand years, Marie, and I'd tear you apart each time," Gordon chuckled.

"W-what are y-you going to d-d-do?" Mary sputtered out, barely able to speak with the immense pressure in the air.

Gordon seemed to think for a moment, before menacingly saying, "I'm going to put you in a _coma_... and send you back to your sister." Mary's eyes widened in horror as the oppressive being bared down on her mind, shattering her weak shield.

She started to cough up blood as Gordon worked delicately to force her into a coma. Darkness overtook her vision as she felt herself slipping away. It did not take long for her to give in to the darkness, and fall into a deep slumber.

Gordon stared at her prone form. White fire still raged around him. Without a master to tell it what to do, the fire was quickly getting out of hand. Pyrokinesis was a risky ability, the fire could only be completely put out by the person who started it.

Blood continued to drip from the good doctor's eyes, and starting to blind him. He became acutely aware of his lack of vision. He let out a startled breath when he felt something _tear_. It was his own flesh.

Hundreds of tiny cuts appeared on his arms, each of them dripping with the red liquid. His shirt became stained red as his scar across his chest opened up again. He gritted his teeth when he realized that his strength was tearing his body apart.

He had never allowed his powers to go unchecked for this long before. Breathing a deep sigh, he allowed his being to gradually flow back into his mind. After he put his power back under lock and key, pain crashed into him. He wiped blood from his face, but it did not help his blindness..

Ignoring the pain, he made his way back over to where he left King. The man still had a grin on his face. Gordon once again hoisted King up on his shoulders and began to walk out of the building. He paused briefly to consider saving Masrani.

The fire was quickly consuming the entire building, and Masrani might not wake up in time. Gordon stood still for a moment, but ended up leaving the unconscious man and Mary where they lay. Masrani would likely wake up soon, but Mary couldn't be burned by her own fire.

XXX

Claire sighed deeply as she sat back in her chair. It had been several days since anyone had seen Zara. Claire had no idea where the woman had gone. Claire could get her work done without an assistant, but Zara doubled her productivity. Claire enjoyed not having to work until eight PM every day.

So Claire sat alone in her office, going over the numbers for this quarter. She had just finished closing off the Innovation Center like King had asked. She shook her head. King had apparently gotten an anonymous tip that terrorists were going to attack the Center.

Claire had thought it was ludicrous, but then again, terrorists did target their labs. Maybe it was some animal rights activist group that wanted to punish Jurassic World. She honestly didn't care, all she had done was shut down the main Center and beefed up security.

She was more concerned with what the evacuation had done to their projected values for the quarter. Although Jurassic World had released a new asset, the evacuation screwed everything up. Now people who had been rearing to see the Spino-Rex had decided against coming, selling their tickets online.

Attendance was very low at the moment. Claire groaned, things could always get worse. First she's told that the Spino-Rex is likely to die soon, then the labs burning down, and then the evacuation! One disaster after another, but there was still one thing that tugged at her mind more than anything else.

 _What do you believe in, Claire?_

King's words echoed through her mind. He had been adamant that a man like Dr. Freeman was highly dangerous and untrustworthy. The argument that a man who believed in nothing was worth nothing.

 _My point is, Miss Dearing, that a man like Dr. Freeman cannot be trusted. For all you know, he could be the one causing all these murders around the island._

 _There's no way that Dr. Freeman killed those people... right?_ Claire pondered. It was the strangest thing, no one had any idea how all those men died. It seemed as if they had just... collapsed. No heart problems, no open wounds, no internal bleeding... it was as if their brains had just stopped working.

Claire shook her head, now was not the time to wonder if the man who handled Jurassic World's most dangerous asset was just as dangerous as the asset. But there was some twisted part in Claire's mind that found the idea fascinating that a man could be as dangerous as _that_ monster.

There was an air of mystery surrounding the good doctor, and it was magnetizing. Claire could feel herself being drawn in and surrounding in the complicated enigma that was Dr. Freeman. She wanted to know everything, not just who he really was, but _what_ he really was. Even if he was a dangerous serial killer.

Maybe she was more attracted to the mystery than the man. That's why she had agreed to go on the "disaster date" with Owen, it wasn't just his charm. She wanted to know _why_ a man like Owen would want to work with Raptors. _How_ could anyone be _that_ insane?

In the end, she was unsatisfied with her answer. She and Owen just weren't compatible. They didn't get along and they certainly didn't like each other. She knew he actively avoided her, and she did the same. She secretly hoped Dr. Freeman wasn't like that.

 _Dr. Freeman is an anomaly. You know almost nothing about the man, and yet he handles your most dangerous asset. How do you think he accomplishes this? He must have some sort of power over her, and what if he could use that power to harm people? He is dangerous._

Claire remembered these words well. At first, she was hard-pressed to believe that Dr. Freeman had some sort of secret power, but King spoke as if he knew from personal experience. _Do you not know or do you refuse to believe?_

That's exactly how she would put it. Masrani had always been convinced Dr. Freeman possessed a unique power over animals, and Claire had just been refusing to believe it. But what if he could use that power to hurt people?

She would admit to knowing just as little about King as she did Freeman, so perhaps his information was biased. Perhaps the good doctor was using this power for good. But what was good? Claire was continually plunging further in further to some mystery she could never hope to solve. Going deeper only confused her more, and this pit was bottomless.

 _Powers or no powers, he is still dangerous._

Claire clenched her fist. Perhaps Dr. Freeman was dangerous, and maybe he was a murderer. King definitely wanted Freeman to be the murderer, and maybe Claire did too. Maybe if she could get some real answers out of Dr. Freeman, she could actually understand what was going on.

She let out a sigh and leaned further back in her chair. Maybe she just shouldn't think about it. That might be for the best. She would operate under the belief that Dr. Freeman was indeed hiding something, but she would refuse to believe he had killed anyone until he admitted it himself.

There was knock on her door and she yelled out, "Come in!" Thinking that it was Zara, she put a serious expression on her face. She wasn't always completely formal with Zara, but she had been abandoning her duties as of late.

But it wasn't Zara who came through the door, it was the tall Native American man that acted as King's bodyguard. Claire's stern expression became confused as she watched the man walk stiffly towards her desk. "Can I help you?" she asked.

The man did not respond. Instead, he raised his fist and smashed it down on her desk. The desk shattered and split in half, sending Claire into a confused panic. "What are you doing?" she screamed. The man did not respond.

He grabbed her from her chair and tossed her against one of the office walls. There was a deep thud as her body made contact with the wall. She could feel her mind spinning as she struggled to her feet.

She wasn't able to get up, however. The man shoved her to her knees and then grabbed her by her throat. She choked and coughed as she was lifted from the ground and slammed against the wall again. She grabbed a hold of the single hand holding her and tried to pry the hand off her throat. She had little success.

Splotches were starting to appear in her vision as she clawed at the man's arm. The man ignored the scratches and continued to strangle her. In her desperation, she began kicking at him. She kicked at his legs, only to find it was like kicking concrete.

Grimacing the best she could, she aimed higher. She kicked again and her aim was true, striking the man right in his groin. Letting out a gasp of air in surprise, the man let go of Claire and backed away.

Claire collapsed on the ground, dazed. Once she came-to, she tried to crawl away, but the man was already on her again. He grabbed her leg and dragged her into a corner, slamming her against the wall again. She watched in horror as he reached behind his back and pulled out a wicked-looking knife.

The blade was at least a foot long and curved. It looked like a ceremonial blade. The man grabbed Claire's white jacket and wrenched it from her body, leaving her arms bare. She let out a squeak of surprise when his iron grip latched onto her right arm and pinned it against the wall. She struggled again, but could not free herself.

She froze in fear when he pressed the blade against her shoulder. She cried out in pain as he dragged the knife down, cutting into her shoulder and her arm. He stopped at her elbow. He released her and inspected his blade, as if testing if it was still sharp.

She whimpered softly, cradling her bloody arm. He didn't cut that deep, but it was still one of the most painful things Claire had ever experienced. The man tore off his shirt to reveal a white tank top underneath. He then held the knife up to his left shoulder.

She noticed that there was a tattoo of a bear on his shoulder and a thin scar leading from the bear's maw down to his elbow. She realized what he was doing, it was a ritual to him. He had marked her as his prey and now he was going to mark himself as the predator. She watched, still trembling, as he dragged the knife through his own skin in an act of barbarism she had never seen before.

He did not flinch as the knife tore through his flesh. Why would he? He had likely done this dozens of times. Claire would have wondered how many people he had killed if he didn't begin to brandish the knife at her again.

Just as he was going to swing and cut into her, there was a loud **BANG!** The man staggered and moved just enough to see Hamada standing at the entrance holding the literal smoking gun. Claire had never been happier to see a person before, but the man did not fall nor drop the knife. The shotgun had not killed him.

Hamada pumped the shotgun, but found that it was empty. He tossed it aside and prepared for hand-to-hand combat, but just before the two warriors collided, she could feel _something_ being released. The air was filled with immense pressure as both of the men collapsed to the ground. The tall man even dropped the knife.

Claire's sobbing became chokes, gasping for air. She could barely breath in this oppressive environment. _What's going on?_ She screamed in her head. She didn't know what happened. Suddenly, she was allowed to take a deep breath as the restrictive environment changed. Hamada seemed to be no longer affected either, but the tall man didn't have that luxury.

 _Control. Power. Strength. Murder. Danger. Dr. Freeman._

Claire lit up when she understood what had happened. It must be Dr. Freeman. This must be the power King was talking about. He was certainly strong, and his aura was significantly more deadly than one would think. Claire didn't want to be anywhere near the good doctor in this state.

But why was he showing off this power now? Was he finally fighting King? _Is King telling the truth and he's confronting Gordon about the murders?_ Claire pondered. But it didn't make sense like that. If Gordon really was a murderer, why would he bother letting her and Hamada free from his oppressive power.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that she almost missed Hamada striking the tall man in the face. Hamada let out a cry of pain when his hand connected with the tall man's face. It was like punching solid steel. The tall man stood, staggering, but not falling, and hit Hamada back.

Claire watched as the two warriors traded blows, though it seemed as if Hamada was losing even with Dr. Freeman's help. The tall man was just too strong. He picked up the former commander and tossed him across the room.

Hamada stood and wobbled slightly. He held up his fists in defense, managing to stay on his feet after the tall man hit him. Although his arms blocked most of the blow, like in boxing, the tall man still pushed Hamada back from the sheer force of the blow. Hamada countered by ducking under the next punch and throwing a mean uppercut.

The tall man seemed to be in only mild discomfort as Hamada collided with the strong jaw. The tall man grabbed Hamada's arm and twisted it hard, Hamada kicked at him and managed to free himself. It was like watching a mixture between bare-knuckle boxing and wrestling.

Hamada was backed against the wall, he ducked again and threw two more punches against the rock hard chest of the tall man. The blows didn't look like they hurt much, but the man backed off, giving Hamada some breathing space. Hamada moved forward and struck at the man's face again.

But the tall man seemed to be ready for that. He dropped down low, dodging the punch, and _rammed_ Hamada, putting his entire weight behind it. Hamada went flying into the wall, causing cracks to appear on the drywall. Hamada stood again, seemingly a glutton for punishment, and raised his fists defensively once more.

The tall man swung his elbow at Hamada's guard, crashing through it and striking Hamada in the face again. It was at that moment, Claire snapped out of her stupor. She had to do something to help Hamada. She noticed that half of her desk was lying near her... maybe...

Hamada was doing his best to hang on. He could feel the left side of his face swelling painfully, and the tall man before him seemed to be taking no damage. Hamada took hit after hit and never went down, but the tall man never ran out of energy.

 **BANG!** For the second time, a loud noise shattered the sound of flesh smashing against flesh. The tall man stumbled as he felt something hit him in his back again. He turned around slightly, dropping Hamada to the ground, to see Claire holding the smoking gun. A revolver that looked too big for her hands.

She always kept a firearm in one of her desk drawers. She had grown up in a gun happy family, having one was a comfort. She had never used it before, but she knew how to shoot. The tall man approached her, no longer concerned about Hamada. She fired again, this time hitting him in the chest.

Blood burst from the wound, so he wasn't wearing a vest. He was literally ignoring the pain. She fired again and again, at his chest, blood spurting forth each time, but he never stopped. She was down to her last bullet. She didn't want to outright shoot him in the head, she just wanted to incapacitate him.

She she aimed her final bullet at his legs. The bullet flew true and ripped through his knee cap, causing him to stumble, but not stop. Her eyes widened as hopelessness set in. She should've just aimed for the head, killing be damned! This was the end...

Except Hamada leapt forward and swept the man's legs out from underneath him. With his weakened leg, the man fell to the floor. Hamada wasted no time wrapping his hands around the man's head and _twisting_ it in one direction. There was a loud _snap_! And the man collapsed to the floor, never to rise again.

Hamada panted and glared at Claire, "Next time, shoot to kill," he said. He walked over to her, completely unconcerned that he had ended a life. He held out his hand expectantly. Claire relinquished her weapon, and even supplied more bullets for him. He pulled her up from her still seated position and started to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, following because she had nowhere else to go.

"To rendezvous with Dr. Freeman," Hamada explained. The monstrous aura could still be felt, Claire knew that it was coming from the good doctor. Suddenly, fire alarms rang.

"We should hurry then," Claire said. Hamada nodded in agreement and the two dashed towards the auditorium. Although they had no real idea where Freeman was, it felt as if the wave of power originated from the same direction as the auditorium.

 _There's no way Dr. Freeman is dangerous. He helped us stop the Native American,_ Claire rationed in her mind. She truly believed that the good doctor wasn't going to harm them, the fact that Hamada seemed to be operating under his orders confirmed that. And Hamada had just saved her life.

And besides, there was something wrong with King. It was just a feeling that Claire had, like he was not meant to be trusted. Dr. Freeman may very well be a murderer, but she felt as if King was exactly the same, seeing as how his bodyguard had tried to kill her.

XXX

Dracul yawned to himself. He was bored. It had been days since the strange man in the white coat had been to visit him. The man who promised that the massive Spinosaurus would be useful, a piece that must be kept alive. Whatever that meant.

He adjusted himself lazily in his nest. If the man in the white coat didn't want to come, then the Spino would sleep. He had been hoping that he might finally see some action... and perhaps get out of this cage.

Just as his good eye was about to close, alarms blared. Snapping his eyes open, he stood and let out a fierce roar to show his displeasure. The loud sound was annoying and it refused to stop. Enraged, Dracul stomped in the direction of the loud sound.

His journey ended at the massive electric fence. So the alarm dared to taunt him? He was fully aware of his inability to breech the lightning fence. Most of the lightning fences on his island had stopped working, but this one was several times stronger than any fence he had ever encountered.

He growled lowly to himself, cursing the arrogant alarm, before turning and marching back towards his nest. Perhaps he could ignore the loud sound. Just as he began to stalk away, the alarm stopped. Confused, Dracul turned around. Why was the alarm no longer taunting him?

His vivid emerald eye narrowed as he leaned forward to sniff at the lightning fence. To his surprise, it didn't smell as hot as it usually did. Confused, Dracul placed his snout on the fence and received no punishment from his actions.

His lips curled upwards in a type of grin as he took a few steps backwards before barreling through the now worthless fence. The fence crashed to the marshy ground and Dracul let out a roar of victory. He was free.

He raised his head to sniff the air. What was he going to do first with his freedom? To his surprise, the scent of chaos and destruction filled his nose. His emerald eye widened, this island was starting to become corrupted. Just like his island.

A week ago, he wouldn't have cared at all. In fact, he would've rushed to help the process. But as the days passed, he was starting to become relaxed. Maybe this island wasn't all bad. It was definitely less stressful. And he had started to enjoy his carefree routine.

A routine that didn't involve him constantly having to assert his dominance with loud roars or displays of force. He knew now that the routine that had made him king of his island had been swiftly killing him. After just a few days on this island, after deciding to relax, he felt younger and stronger than ever.

This island was paradise. Even though he was in a cage, he had plenty of space and plenty of prey. Although the river that ran through his home was void of large fish that he liked to eat, it was large enough for him to nearly completely submerge. And, although he knew they were there, humans never bothered him. They were quiet and respectful of his presence.

He decided as he carefully stepped over the fallen lightning fence. This island was _in danger_ of being corrupted like his old island. It was what the man with the violet eyes wanted to prevent. And he expected Dracul to help. And Dracul was more than willing to lend a hand in preserving his little slice of paradise.

 _I'll even let you meet her._

That's right. _Her._ The strange roars that he could hear at times. The roars that were louder than anything he had ever heard before. The ones that were filled with pain and misery, but had slowly become more and more jubilant. The man with the violet eyes promised him that he could meet the being responsible for those roars.

Dracul was unsure what type of being could sound like she did. He wanted so desperately to know, to understand. She didn't sound like a Spinosaurus, but he could understand her like one. And she sounded even larger than him, which he once thought to be impossible.

Dracul stomped through the marshes of the Cretaceous Cruise, adamant on finding how he could save this island. He knew he was not king here. He knew that one of his roars would not cause all of the other creatures to run in fear.

He paused in his steps when he saw another Spinosaurus. Confused, Dracul stepped closer. A tall spine sat on the thing's back and its long tail swished from side to side. Confirming that it was a Spinosaurus, Dracul decided to make contact. Perhaps this new ally would be able to help him save the island.

 _"_ _Greeting,"_ Dracul hissed lowly. His one eye widened when the supposed Spinosaurus turned around and he saw that it was _not_ a Spino. It was an abomination unlike any he had ever laid eyes on. It had the head of a Proud One but its body was like his.

The being cocked its head and gave the shocked Spino a confused look. It let out a deep rumble that Dracul could not understand. The Spino responded with a hiss of confusion. The abomination glared at the Spino due to the blatant language barrier between them.

The Spino-Rex turned around fully and stopped in a wide attack stance. Dracul's eye narrowed when the other being presented itself in a display of dominance. The old king was not intimidated by the display, despite the glaring size difference.

Dracul was a king, goddamn it! And the abomination moved like a child still uncomfortable with walking. Maybe it hadn't gotten used to its size yet. Something Dracul could use to his advantage. The Spino bared his teeth and let out an almighty challenging roar that he had done so many times as king.

The abomination stumbled backwards in surprise from the aggressive display, clearly not expecting anything to be stupid enough to challenge his size. But he recovered quickly from his falter and let loose a roar of his own. Although significantly less impressive than Dracul's.

Dracul knew one thing about the cages on the island. They were there to keep them inside and the humans out. He knew that he wasn't supposed to interact with humans, and neither was the Spino-Rex. But since the barrier had been removed, they were both threats.

Dracul figured that this was the being causing the chaos. This was the threat the violet-eyed man wanted him to stop. So Dracul roared again, and rushed into combat, taking the other being by surprise. The sooner he killed this arrogant abomination, the sooner he could go back to his nest in paradise.

XXX

 **There we go, yet another one down. Another fun chapter to write. Mary(Marie) and Gordon have another spat, but its their last one. He put Marie in a coma?! How dare he? And we get to see Hamada and the tall Native American man fight through Claire's eyes, that was interesting. And the start of Dracul vs Capax (thought I forgot about the name I gave him in chapter 14, eh?) fight. What more could you ask for? Oh, right... what happened to Saber and the other Indominus? We'll get to that.**

 **I'm sure most of you have noticed the slight romantic feelings Claire has towards our favorite psychic doctor. Now the reason I don't expand much on that (besides what Claire is thinking in her head) is because I'm terrible at romances. That's why Owen and Sam never worked out... or Owen and Mary (although that one was never supposed to). So for those of you asking where I was going with the whole Claire being attracted to Dr. Freeman thing... nowhere, really. Just something to give Claire a little depth and add her into the story a bit more.**

 **Now that that's over with, the next chapter is going to be the most exciting one of all. And the dramatic conclusion of the game between Gordon and King! But it won't be the last chapter... just the conclusion of their game. Stay tuned until next time!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 29 - Trasecolare:

Author's Note:

 **I've heard several different predictions on what is going to happen in this chapter (concerning the game between King and Gordon). All of them were excellent predictions, but none of them were quite right, but either way, I'm very impressed with what you've all thought of. This is another short chapter, but I've done something a little different. I've thrown in a first person point of view section. I know, something a bit different to mix it up, eh? You'll know it when you see it. Any who, please enjoy!**

XXX

Dracul and the massive Spino-Rex collided and Dracul immediately realized his disadvantage. The Spino-Rex was nearly fifteen feet longer than he was, and much taller. The Spino-Rex weighed more too, meaning their first clash resulted in Dracul being shoved into several trees before they broke contact.

Dracul was thrown to the ground when he disengaged. He growled lowly and struggled to his feet. The weight disadvantage was going to make this fight tough. He wouldn't be able to use brute force against this enemy, like he usually did. He would have to use his over thirty years of fighting experience to fell this foe.

Dracul roared again and charged the Spino-Rex. His opponent attempted to snap at him, but Dracul weaved to the side, dodging the attack. The beast looked like a Spinosaurus, so it was logical to believe that it would have the same weaknesses as a Spinosaurus. Acting on that logic, Dracul bit down as hard as he could on the Spino-Rex's spine.

The beast roared in agony when Dracul heard bone break. Dracul shook his head and tore of a hunk of flesh and bone. He spit it out, the bloody chunk crumbling when it hit the ground. Dracul hissed in satisfaction, he had caused the beast pain.

The Spino-Rex retaliated immediately, turning to face Dracul and ramming the Spino as hard as he could. Dracul was sent to the ground again, he could feel the muscles in his side burning from where the massive Spino-Rex hit him. He would have to take care not to be hit like that again.

Dracul picked himself back up off the ground and considered his options. The Spino-Rex seemed to be playing defensively, which benefited Dracul greatly. For one thing, if the massive beast decided to be aggressive, Dracul wasn't sure how long he would last against the beast's huge teeth and claws.

Which meant he had to stay aggressive in order to prevent being at a further disadvantage. The Spino-Rex looked like it was no longer going to allow Dracul to get on its sides, but Dracul wasn't sure if the Spino-Rex would be able to accomplish it.

The beast's scales were a vibrant color, suggesting that it was only a youngling, despite its massive size. There was also quite a bit of meat on its bones, meaning that it was likely born in captivity and this was the first time it had gotten out. Dracul concluded that the abomination had likely never seen combat before, which means that Dracul should have an easy time outmaneuvering the larger dinosaur.

Dracul sucked in a breath and went on the offense again. This time, he charged the beast head-on. The Spino-Rex was caught off-guard, as it didn't expect the Spino to come charging straight towards his teeth. The Spino-Rex widened its stance and prepared to intercept Dracul.

But Dracul wasn't just going to blindly charge into the enemy's teeth. Judging by the shape of the head, it being a Rex head after all, the beast likely had a vicious bite. Dracul's jaws were better at holding onto prey. And he knew the best way to utilize that fact to his advantage.

Dracul ducked under the Spino-Rex's jaws, it had miscalculated exactly how tall Dracul was, yet another reason to suspect inexperience. Dracul grabbed a hold of the abomination's Rex-like head and started to twist. It was a simple move that he had learned after fighting Powerful Ones on his island. Their necks could be broken cleanly and easily.

But the Spino-Rex wasn't just going to sit there and let itself be killed. The beast squealed in surprise and started to slash at Dracul with its razor sharp talons. Dracul's claws were, again, better suited for holding onto prey, but Rex claws were surprisingly sharp. But they were ineffective weapons on such short arms... except the beast's arms were that of a Spinosaurus.

The abomination's claws cut into Dracul's side causing him to loosen his jaws just enough for the Spino-Rex to tear its head free. Dracul growled in frustration, but not in defeat. Breaking the neck of his opponent was the best move in his arsenal, he would just have to try again.

The Spino-Rex roared in anger and charged Dracul, going on the offensive. Dracul let out a hiss of surprise, the abomination was _fast._ The Spino-Rex clamped its jaws on Dracul's neck and he could feel the pressure increasing exponentially. But Dracul knew how to get out of this hold.

It was the same hold all of the young, inexperienced Powerful Ones would try on his island. Although their jaws were strong and they could bite with tons of pressure, Dracul would jerk his head upwards and then wrench his head free. The Spino-Rex stumbled back in surprise, it had not expected Dracul to be able to free himself.

Dracul grabbed a hold of the abomination's neck again, but instead of going straight for the kill, he used his momentum and swung the massive dinosaur around. Dracul let go, sending the Spino-Rex careening into trees and onto the ground. Dracul roared in victory and waited for his opponent to get up. It was not honorable to kill an opponent while they were down.

The Spino-Rex struggled to its feet. It looked up and down at Dracul, observing the Spino. Deciding that he could not win, the abomination turned tail and ran. Dracul's good eye narrowed in a mix of confusion and rage.

 _How dare he run?!_ Dracul snarled in his head. So he gave chase. He knew that he could not let this opponent survive and recover. The abomination became exponentially more dangerous the longer it was left alive.

At this point, the beast had taken more damage than Dracul. He figured that the Spino-Rex would run out of energy soon enough. All Dracul had to do was outlast it... and deliver the final blow.

XXX

Saber pushed hard against the other Indominus. They had locked jaws and were in a shoving match. Without her backup, Saber was losing out to the larger and heavier Indominus. She was getting slowly shoved to the ground, and Saber could do nothing about it.

Saber growled to herself and disengaged their shoving match. Sharp talons tore at her side as she stumbled a few paces backwards. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. The enemy had a huge advantage with size. She wouldn't be able to win by directly challenging it.

Not to mention that the other Indominus seemed impossible to kill. The moment it had gotten up off the ground, bleeding heavily from its throat, it had stopped focusing on defense. It didn't need to defend itself if it was impossible to kill.

 _It must be that psychic girl,_ Saber realized. The Indominus before her was little more than a puppet, held together by psychic power. A little marionette that packed quite a punch. Saber rolled her sore shoulders and reconsidered her options.

It didn't help that she was already injured. Her leg felt funny, it wasn't impossible to walk, but the muscle had definitely been pulled. She was also having trouble breathing due to her punctured lung. It had been painful at first, but she figured the only reason every breath didn't set fire to her lungs was because of Dr. Freeman.

She could feel his power even now. She knew that he would just end this fight in an instant if he could, but he was likely occupied. But that didn't mean he couldn't help keep her afloat. Her lungs no longer burned, her leg didn't hurt, and the claw marks on her flank didn't sting as much as she thought they should. _Did he reduce my ability to feel pain?_ Saber pondered.

She didn't have time to come up with an answer, the other Indominus began its charge. Saber grimaced as she realized she didn't have time to dodge. Which meant she had to try a different strategy. So she lowered herself in a defensive stance and prepared to take the hit. If she couldn't feel pain, anything that wasn't immediately lethal could be ignored.

Just as the other Indominus was about to snap its jaws on her neck, she leaned hard to the side, causing the other Indominus to only scrape her side with its teeth. But the other Indominus kept coming. It had built up so much momentum that it couldn't stop.

So Saber slammed her head into the other Indominus' shoulder, redirecting its momentum. Saber then scored her claws down its side, grinning maliciously as she did. It felt so good to run her talons down the enemy's flank, especially after the other Indominus had done it to her first.

She grabbed the other Indominus' leg in her jaws, causing it to trip and fall to the ground. _Payback,_ Saber snorted to herself as she increased the pressure on the leg. She knew that the other Indominus had only tripped her, not broken her leg, but she was out for blood.

The other Indominus curled and managed to sink its teeth into Saber's shoulder, clawing at her stomach all the while. But Saber refused to let go, continuously increasing the pressure on the leg as a threat.

Suddenly, there was a pulse of energy and Saber was forced back. The other Indominus stood quickly and turned three hundred and sixty degrees, whipping Saber in the jaw with its tail. Saber's head snapped back from the blow, disorienting her further. _What was that pulse?_ She wondered.

But it was too late to dote on that question, the other Indominus was upon her again. She was shoved to the ground again, this time she was pinned. The heavier Indominus pushed on her neck, slowly suffocating her. Saber coughed up blood and loose teeth from the tail whip, and tried to push her foe off of her.

But to no avail. She was trapped and loosing oxygen. She couldn't feel Dr. Freeman's power anymore, and the pain came rushing back into her. She let out a wail before she could no longer push air out through her lungs. She gasped and choked on the bile that was rising in the back of her throat.

 _So this is how it ends?_ Saber pondered. She figured that the little girl had attacked her mind the moment Dr. Freeman sealed his powers again. It was a dirty trick, but an effective one. And Saber would not deny that.

XXX

 _Life seemed so simple back then. We were young, foolish, but happy. "Happiness," I would mutter to myself occasionally. It would not be until I turned twenty-three would I realize that happiness was just a fading dream. A long lost memory of childhood._

 _I wasn't born with psychic powers and neither was my twin sister. We were both normal little girls desperate to spend what little time we had in a worthwhile manor. Of course, neither of us realized that was what we were doing._

 _I sighed to myself as I looked around. I was back in my childhood home. It was a simple abode for a middle class family. We had enough to feed ourselves, and we were well subsidized by the government for father's disability. I couldn't see any of my family, but I could see the large mirror mother hung over the fireplace, instead of a mural._

 _I could never understand why she wanted a mirror up there. It was unnerving. She claimed it opened up the space, but now I understand the truth. A psychological principal, you're less likely to do wrong when you can see yourself doing it. Mother was always a clever one, and I don't doubt that's why she wanted the mirror up there._

 _I gazed into the mirror for several minutes. I seemed to be back in my seven year old body, but I've kept my memories from an adult. It didn't help that I knew I was in a coma. But I was powerless to do anything to free myself._

 _"_ _Marie, Marie, Marie!" I heard a voice moving closer and closer to me. I turned slightly and saw my sister running towards me. She wore an excited expression on her face... the happiness we had lost so long ago. She looked the same as me, short, blonde hair and bright, blue eyes._

 _"_ _Mary," I said calmly. I was always less excitable than my sister, trying to remain calm in even the worst situations. It didn't always work out, but it was better than my sister who burst into tears every time she didn't get what she wanted._

 _"_ _Let's play wizards and witches!" she said, her smile broadening. Ah, I remember this memory now. I was supposed to tell her 'no', and she would cry and beg me to play. I would eventually give in, but only on the condition that I got to be the wizard this time._

 _Witches and wizards was a simple game that could be played with two people or an entire army. One person would be an evil witch, hellbent on destroying the world, while the other would be the good wizard, tasked with stopping her._

 _"_ _Alright," I sighed. She grinned happily, not even asking which one I wanted to be. She was always the wizard, the good girl, and I was always the witch, the bad girl. We stood and faced each other, preparing to launch our first spells._

 _The only limit to the spells that we could cast was our own imagination. We would start the fight out small, with simple fire and lightning spells, and then escalate until we were casting planet-destroying abilities!_

 _"_ _I cast a spell of earthquake!" I called out. My sister pretended the ground was shaking violently, so much so that she fell to the ground._

 _She leapt to her feet in mock anger and cried out, "I cast a spell of ice age!" I could feel the room growing colder so I put my hands together and rubbed them, shivering as I did._

 _"_ _I cast a spell of solar flare!" I stuttered out, still hamming up the cold. The solar flare melted all of the ice and returned the room to its normal temperature._

 _She glared at me, having a hard time keeping back her grin. "I cast a spell of meteor," she commanded simply. It was the final spell in her arsenal, neither of us could think of anything grander than a meteor. I had no idea how to defend against such an attack._

 _So I conceded. She smiled and raised her arms in victory. Despite wanted to take over the world, the witch didn't want to destroy it. It was admirable that the wizard had the guts to threaten the destruction of everything the witch wanted._

 _That was the beauty of the game. It wasn't about pushing each other to the limits of our imagination, it was about finding the one way the wizard would be forced to concede and the one way the witch was forced to concede... then doing our best to force that situation upon him or her._

 _The wizard wasn't 'supposed' to win. I, as the witch, could have won just as easily and I would not be called a cheater. No one would claim the witch was 'supposed' to lose. The simplicity lead to reality, a lesson I took to heart. Sometimes the bad guy wins._

 _The scene faded and I was thrust forward into my life. Years flashed before my eyes until the world stopped moving. And I was sitting at a desk, surrounded by people. I was in college again. My eyebrows scrunched together as I tried to figure out where and when I was._

 _"_ _Medieval History, isn't it so exciting?!" my sister asked, nudging my side. I turned to look at her. When my eyes met hers, I realized when and where I was. My first year of college, my first day, and my first class._

 _I smiled at her. Our schedules were nearly identical for our first semester, after that we would start to drift apart. Her hair was no longer the same blonde color mine was. She had died it black and let it grow out so people would be constantly confused between the two of us. But I had remained largely the same._

 _Mary sat on my left. I turned to my right to see a bored looking man seemingly falling asleep on his arm. "Shouldn't you be paying attention?" I asked the man._

 _He gave me a bleary look before yawning, "There's no need to pay attention. I've sat through this same syllabus lecture a hundred times. Oh, by the way, there's going to be a pop quiz before the end of class."_

 _I raised an eyebrow at the tired man. He had short brown hair and wore glasses. The most interesting thing about him was the lab coat he was wearing. I had thought only professors wore lab coats. "My name is Marie Giddings," I introduced myself, holding out my hand._

 _He stared at it blankly before accepting the greeting, giving a firm shake and then letting go. "Freeman, Gordon Freeman. Doctorate impending," he yawned._

 _"_ _Impending?"_

 _"_ _It means that I'll be a doctor soon, my thesis hasn't quite come in yet. Unfortunately, they're still making me do all this gen-ed crap. This is the only class I'm actually taking this year," he explained._

 _"_ _Doctor of what?" I asked, intrigued by the strange man._

 _"_ _Philosophy. Oh, you meant... oh, psychology," he answered._

 _"_ _Psychology! That's my major," I said excitedly. This man has already gone through the rigors of the psychology department, perhaps he would be helpful._

 _"_ _How old are you?" he asked._

 _"_ _This is my first year, I'm eighteen," I said with a smile. I had never been one for the taboo of asking a woman her age._

 _"_ _Ah, this is my last year. I'm twenty-two." We sat in silence for a moment as I looked through the syllabus. I couldn't find any mention of a quiz anywhere._

 _"_ _Why do you think there's going to be a quiz today?" I asked. There was definitely something off about the man. I could feel a strange energy radiating from him body. I was never one to believe in aura, but this man most certainly had a_ _ **presence**_ _._

 _He gave me a smirk, his violet eyes sharpened and the exhaustion vanished from them. They blazed like mini-suns and locked with my eyes, "Let's just say I have a feeling." We did end up having a pop quiz that day._

 _Once again the scene vanished and the years flew by again. And when I regained control of myself, I was in a different college. A different room. I looked at the white board at the front of the class, "The Science and Psychology of Paranormal Abilities."_

 _I remember this class. It had just been added the year I became a senior. I had space, so I decided to take it for shits and giggles. It seemed like lunacy, but an easy 'A' at the same time. There was no harm in at least seeing what it was about._

 _The years were not kind to me. My sister had decided to major in biology, a completely different field than psychology. We no longer shared any classes. She filled the void I left with other people. She was popular, easily able to make friends. I was never able to do that. I went through my last two years alone._

 _The class was small, only fifteen people. And it only met once a week. We all waited patiently for our professor to walk through the doors. He was late, nearly ten minuets so. I sighed and popped my neck a few times, bored._

 _Just as I did that, our professor walked through the doors. A lab coat swished behind him, but I thought nothing of it. He had short, brown hair and wore thick-rimmed glasses, but I still didn't make the connection._

 _It wasn't until he wrote his name on the white board and turned around to stare at me with his intense violet gaze that I realized that it was none other than... "My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman. I shall be your professor for this subject."_

 _It couldn't be. I had transferred universities this year to be closer to my father. He had moved to California to teach and we all went with him. There was no way... it really was the same man that sat next to me every single class I had of Medieval History._

 _"_ _Fifteen people, not bad. I had been expecting less. I won't be going over the syllabus because you all can read, but I would just like to make sure you all have at least taken PSYCH101 and philosophy 100," he looked over the small crowd, noting all of the people nodding their heads._

 _"_ _Excellent. For this class we will be exploring certain claims of paranormal abilities that allegedly manifest in the human species. I would like everyone to keep an open mind during this class, as we may be exploring topics that some of you don't agree with," he shrugged._

 _"_ _What kind of paranormal abilities?" one of the students asked._

 _"_ _Abilities relating to ESP, teleportation, mediums, and the ability to tell the future. Of course, those are just some examples."_

 _"_ _You can't be serious," a different student complained._

 _Dr. Freeman rolled his eyes and said, "Very well. I shall demonstrate. Everyone please think of your favorite food, think, don't speak. And I shall tell you exactly what you are thinking." The students looked skeptical but did as he requested._

 _He went down each row, reading each of their minds. I watched the shocked expression appear on each student's face as Dr. Freeman got it correct. There was no way he was guessing, especially after fourteen right in a row. He stopped in front of my desk and gave me a hard look._

 _I could feel it, his power. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I knew it was radiating off of Dr. Freeman. He was an actual psychic, and I could feel the alpha waves coming from him. "Blueberry pie, how quaint," he smirked._

 _I nodded, showing him that he was correct. "Please see me after class, Miss Giddings," he said quietly so that none of the other students could hear him. He walked back to the front of the class, his demonstration over, and began to teach._

 _The class flew by quickly and before I knew it, I was alone in the room with him. I knew what was coming, I knew it. "I run a lab that works on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I would like you to come work there," he said._

 _But I already knew the consequences of accepting. I realized at that moment, that the accident that made me who I am happened in a year. "No," I said simply, hoping that at least in this dream world, I can live the life I was meant to._

 _He smirked and said, "Wrong answer." The world began to crumble and shatter like glass. Dr. Freeman ceased to exist and the ground beneath my feet disappeared. I had destroyed the dream world. I was now floating in a sea of white, unable to move, unable to escape._

XXX

Gordon slammed the door closed behind him. He had decided to take King into the barracks and into one of the holding cells, not far from the entrance. He set King down into the chair farthest from the door and he took the chair across from him. They were separated by a large table. Gordon didn't bother to handcuff King to the table, it was unnecessary.

Gordon wiped blood from his face, but it was too late to save his shirt. Once he resealed his powers, the lacerations on his arms stopped bleeding and the scar on his chest closed. But the blood remained. His arms still stung, but he ignored the pain.

Gordon spent a few moments probing King's mind, only to find nothing of interest. He grew annoyed quickly, how could he not find what King was planning? _He must've had the end game erased from his memory... he knew this was going to happen,_ Gordon realized.

With a flick of his mental abilities, he woke King. He had put King in a deep sleep, like a semi-coma. King's eyes snapped open and focused on Gordon immediately. He cracked his neck twice and glanced down at himself.

"You kept the suit clean, that's a nice gesture," he said, smirking. Gordon just glared at him. King raised an eyebrow when he saw all of the blood, "I see that your body cannot take your full power. How much of your life did you lose?"

"Irrelevant," Gordon said, crossing his arms.

King's smirk widened, "Ah, that's right. Your lifespan is indefinite, isn't it? A God who wishes to be mortal, but you cannot bring yourself to die, can you? That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"I don't see what you mean," Dr. Freeman sighed.

"Well, for one thing, you fixed your eyesight, right? When you said you never found that necessary. And, in the end, you'll live many, many more years than a normal human by artificially enhancing your lifespan," King frowned.

Gordon remained silent, so King continued, "You know why all men die, don't you? And you can stop it, not just to yourself, but to everyone, no? I know you took a look in my head, so tell me... when am I going to die?"

"In about five seconds, unless you shut up," Gordon growled.

King burst out laughing, "That's a good one! But I'm talking about my biological clock. You can read the clock and determine when it stops _ticking._ And, if you wished, you can keep it ticking far past when it's supposed to stop. That's what you want to do with your dear Saber. I, personally, think that to be a worse fate than leading her to her death right now."

King leaned forward, "And that's why I hate you. Because Gods who do not wish to be Gods, but do not wish to face the truth of mortality and become monsters. Tell me, when you looked in my head, what did you see?"

"I saw a void. Nothing worth noting," Dr. Freeman said. King leaned back into his chair in satisfaction.

"Why?"

"Because you've been making this up as you go along. There is no _plan_. Just a madman who wants war."

King smiled at Gordon, but quickly darkened, "There is no war, stupid!" he snarled. Gordon leaned back in surprise, not expecting his outburst. "There's just you and just me. "

"Then..."

"It's only us, Dr. Freeman. Everything else was just extra. And it cannot be stopped, no matter how hard you try. Two chess players trapped in an endless game, but one of us has already made a mistake."

Gordon's expression darkened, "How so? I have already won."

A smug smirk presented itself on King's face, "You've been playing chess this entire time, but I've been playing something else. And capturing the king in my game does nothing. It's impossible for you to win against me."

"Then why bother playing? If I can't win, why bother giving me a chance?" Gordon growled in annoyance.

"I've always disagreed with the phrase _revenge is a dish best served cold,_ " King said. He picked up an imaginary wine glass and took a fake drink before looking off in the distance, "Revenge is sweeter this way."

"Revenge?"

"You don't remember?" King said, dropping the faux wine glass in surprise. "Let's wind back the clocks five years. Remember now? You got a grant to do research on your doctoral thesis, _The Awakening of Psychic Powers in Peoples with High Latent ESP Ratings._ "

Gordon nodded slowly, now understanding where King was going. "You know, the experiment that haunts you to this day? The one that put Mary in a coma, severely damaged Marie's psyche, gave Sam's father cancer, _killed my wife, and turned my daughter into a monster!_ " King grew more and more angry the further he went.

"Enough, I get the point."

"I don't think you do! We haven't even talked about all the people you killed when you released your full power," King snarled. "Even little Ila... you cursed her, and made her a monster just like you." King seemed legitimately distraught. He wore not a smirk or grin on his face, but a tight line that promoted seriousness in both parties.

"So this is revenge? You weren't even there," Gordon said, not quite understanding why King was so upset. Only he saw his daughter as a monster.

"What is most precious to you, Dr. Freeman?" King asked. He answered before Gordon even had a chance to respond. "She is suffering because of you. I had expected you to fall for that trap, and now she's going to _die_ because of you. _Poof!_ There goes your eternity with her."

Gordon ground his teeth together, "You're attacking me through her," he realized. He stood and practically ran out of the room, lab coat swishing behind him.

King watched, an amused smirk starting to show up on his face. "Life is but a walking shadow. A poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage... and then is heard no more," he said, just as the door closed. But he did not move, he had no need to. "Checkmate."

Gordon walked briskly to the exit of the ACU barracks. He knew that Saber was in danger, but King must have something else up his sleeve if he is going to take her down. And that means that Gordon needed to be there to help.

 _ **Static**_ _Dead End_ _ **Static**_

Gordon threw the door open and walked out into the open. And then he heard it. **BANG!** A gunshot that echoed around the park. And the splatter of blood as the bullet hit him.

XXX

 **Boom, there we go. How's that for unexpected? Everyone was saying that King was going to die and leave Gordon alone to stop the unstoppable conclusion of the game. But why would King do that... when he's already won? So there's a few things I want to touch on to make sure everyone understands, moving forward.**

 **One: King sees psychics as monsters (all of them, not just Gordon... Gordon is just the strongest), for various reasons. Gordon was actually the reason he came to hate psychics (with the accident that I touched on in this chapter. We'll get to see more of it later). That's why his daughter is in chains, because he thinks her to be a monster. Whether she is or isn't is yet to be seen.**

 **Two: I slipped it in there, I'm not sure how many noticed, but King's daughter's name is Ila.**

 **Three: King's been misdirecting everyone (and I have too, through the voice of King). His ultimate goal (that he hinted with in the last chapter) is actually the slaying of the monstrous Dr. Freeman. Destroying Jurassic World and threatening Saber was all a ploy to force Dr. Freeman to play the game. Every single move King has made has been leading up to this point.**

 **Four: The italics section is from Mary's (Marie's) point of view. A coma dream. I'm pretty sure you all get that, I just want to be absolutely sure.**

 **There, hope that helps to clarify a few things. Is all lost? Dracul is winning the fight, but Saber is down! And Gordon... well... stay tuned to find out!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 30 - Appetence:

Author's Note:

 **I wish that I could've had this chapter out sooner, but my roommates decided that I had spent enough time holed up in my room. So they dragged me out for a night on the town on Saturday. Let's just say that I'm the only one of the group who actually remembers the entirety of that night. In any case, enjoy!**

XXX

 _ **Static**_ _Pain_ _ **Static**_

Pain exploded across his chest and penetrated his entire being. Gordon's eyes went wide with surprise as the bullet tore through his heart and exited out of his back. The bullet pinged against the metal doors of the barracks. Gordon himself slumped against a wall next to the door, painting the wall red as he slid down.

His powers went into overdrive, blocking out his ability to feel pain and keeping his heart beating the best it could. He could feel himself growing weaker with every passing moment, he wasn't sure how long he could survive. If the bullet had torn through something decidedly less vital, he could urge his cells to regenerate faster.

Not necessarily immediately, but definitely within a few hours he would be left without so much as a scar from the bullet. His heart, on the other hand, and several other organs, couldn't simply be repaired that way. And even then, he wasn't sure if he had the strength left to order such a process with his powers.

Not if they were being overexerted, preventing pain and keeping him alive. _How did this happen?_ Dr. Freeman pondered to himself. He couldn't even muster the strength to speak. Let alone move. He had lost, plain and simple.

 _ **Static**_ _Losing Senses_ _ **Static**_

His vision was starting to fade, going back to its original state. He weakly registered the man who had shot him. The man was bald and wore a gray suit. It was Anderson. The bald man simply holstered his pistol and walk passed the slumped over Dr. Freeman. He spared the dying man a single glance before disappearing into the barracks.

His breath grew haggard as he struggled to sit up. He gritted his teeth as he managed to slide up the wall, but he fell back down. _How did this happen?_ He thought once again. He wanted so badly to release his full power and crush King with his dying breath, but he feared he was unable to.

He was currently invested in containing the immense pain he was in. If he let up, the pain would cause him to lose focus. If he lost focus, he would be unable to keep his heart beating. If his heart stopped beating...

So he sat there on the ground, blood pouring out of the wound. He could feel the healed scratches opening again, coating his arms in fresh blood. He was losing blood fast, too fast. So he did his best to divert as much as he could to his brain. That way he would at least be able to remain alive for a few moments longer.

Maybe long enough to be saved. He let out a ragged gasp as his muscles and organs shut down. The only things kept working were his heart, lungs, and brain. With his nervous system destroyed, he diverted his full attention to keeping himself breathing and heart beating. He might be able to last another ten to twenty minutes, but he wasn't fully sure.

His mind was an absolute mess. He couldn't think clearly, but he really didn't need to. He just needed to keep his heart beating. Blood still dripped from the open wounds, he wasn't able to completely divert all of the blood to his veins. But he was no longer in danger of dying from blood loss. No, the real danger was his rapid loss of power.

 **Static** _A Shattered Soul_ _ **Static**_

He managed to register the door opening again, King and Anderson stepped out. Anderson made to keep walking, but King turned and stared at the good doctor. He wore a serious expression, and actually looked saddened by his opponent's current state.

"All my life I've been searching for distractions... you were the best distraction I ever had. But now... I don't have you, because I've beaten you," he didn't seem to be celebrating. He didn't sound victorious. He didn't sound like a man who had just slayed a monster.

Gordon did his best to glare at King. King managed to snort at Gordon's squinting glare, as if he was really just trying to see. "You can't speak anymore, can you?" He looked down at his wrist and said, "I guess I have time to spend your last moments with you. Even monsters shouldn't die alone," he sighed.

They stared at each other for another minute, King seemingly unsure of what to say. "I've been biting my fingernails this entire battle, worried that you would discover something at some point. I was leading you into this trap from the moment I set foot on this island. And I must admit, victory tastes strange upon my tongue. It has hints of blood... and iron," King said.

He smirked slightly, as if this moment was just now hitting him. As if he just registered his victory. "What you call victories have been nothing more than steps leading to this moment, the pyre on which you shall burn. It's almost... funny, really. Do you know why you lost? It's not because I had a superior plan or because I had better soldiers, or even because I knew your weaknesses..."

King paused and seemed to contemplate his next words. He stretched out his hand, as if offering it to Gordon, "You lost because you were merciful to me and to Anderson... and yes, to Dr. Giddings too. If you had been as ruthless towards us as you were to my troops, this conflict would've gone differently. If you had released your full power the first time we met, I would've lost immediately."

King chuckled lightly, "Your real weakness is that inside, you were never a monster. I had hoped, at the very least, that you would prove me right... but now I'm not so sure. You were more than willing to play this game, it was your own fault that you never realized what the game actually was. You just saw it as a means to an end... not realizing that it was your end that you saw. But..."

King paused again. He knelt down, so that he was on eye level with the prone Dr. Freeman. Gordon had stopped glaring at him, he was just doing his best to stay conscious now. "No, no. You are a monster, you even admit that to yourself," King shook his head sadly, "You just got so into character that you forgot how ruthless you're supposed to be... and I guess I counted on that."

King waved his hands, gesturing to the entirety of Jurassic World, "It was Saber, wasn't it? You admitted that the only reason you protect this place is because of her... but Jurassic World is as much your kingdom as it is hers."

"Sir, we have to go. The plane is leaving in a few minutes!" Anderson urged.

King rolled his eyes. He had been content to stay on the island and watch the destruction, but Anderson just wanted to go back to Isla Sorna. Where the dinosaurs roam free. "Very well," King said. He stood and brushed his jacket and straightened his tie.

And the two departed without so much as a goodbye. They left Gordon, still alive, by the side of the ACU barracks, contemplating his actions throughout the past week. He arrived at no conclusions. No second chances. No survival. His time was up.

 _ **Static**_ _I've lost_ _ **Static**_

"Gordon!" a voice cut through the silence minutes after King and Anderson left. But they were too late to save him.

XXX

Dracul panted as he chased the fleeing Spino-Rex. His opponent was not only faster than him, but also had an infuriating amount of stamina. It must be from the abomination's youth. The elder Spino was slowing down, losing visual on the Spino-Rex.

But he could still smell the beast. They had run from the Cretaceous Cruise and headed west. Dracul wasn't sure where the beast was headed, but he could tell that there were a lot of humans in that direction. Which meant chaos was coming.

Dracul needed to stop the beast before then. If the humans scattered, like the frightened bugs they were, or died, like the vermin they were, the island would be lost. And Dracul already promised the man with violet eyes that the island would not fall to the chaos.

So he picked up the pace, ignoring the burning in his legs and lungs. It was starting to become difficult to breath, but he ignored his own shortness of breath in favor of pushing his legs to move faster. Faster and faster he ran until he exited the thick jungles of Jurassic World and into the the concrete haven of humans.

Dracul slowed down immediately. His senses were being assaulted by the myriad of sights and smells. Bright lights caused his good eye to narrow. There were dead humans littered the ground around the walls. The doors had been blown off their hinges by something huge.

Dracul was starting to have trouble discerning his prey's scent from all of the humans and their... oddities. He had no other words for the strange things humans created. He never thought much into it, he never had any reason to. They were not threats, just annoyances. He didn't bother with annoyances in his old age.

Unless they happened to be massive abominations that were clearly engines of chaos. He snorted to himself at that thought. How much had he changed since his youth? When he would knock aside beings who thought they were at the top of the food chain. When he would take everything personally, to the point of lashing out at even the smallest offenses.

Gritting his teeth, he entered the realm of humans. He hoped the abomination hadn't already caused too much damage. He knew from experience that chaos was impossible to contain once it got out. The concrete felt strange beneath his feet as he stepped from his world into the world of humans.

He didn't loath them... at least not anymore, he pondered on that thought as he continued tracking his foe. Maybe when he had been held against his will when he was but a youngling. Perhaps he deserved to be incarcerated at that time... he thought of what he had done to his home. But now... now he wanted to be locked up. Not as a criminal, but as an aging man who needed a stable life. To help him live well into his projected age limit.

He hissed lowly when he couldn't find his foe. How had something so large escaped his grasp? He lowered his snout to the ground to try and isolate the abomination's unique scent. All he could pick up was the elderly, female Powerful One.

She was nearby. Dracul looked up, perhaps in hope of seeing the aging being. But only saw a tall concrete wall. He pressed up against the wall, trying to remain silent, as he breathed in deeply. She was definitely contained behind the wall. So she had a cage in the heart of the world of humans. Dracul didn't envy her in the slightest. At least he could chose to ignore them if he so wished, _she_ likely had a hard time.

And what of the Twisted One? Where was she? The one who had sounded so alone, so sad. And yet, so much larger than he was. Was she nearby? He couldn't pick up a scent that could be her's. He didn't actually know what she smelled like, but he assumed it would be the one scent he had never smelled before. Much like his beastly foe.

He shook his head and growled. He was getting sidetracked. He raised his head slightly, once again trying to pick up the beast's scent. But he noticed something odd. More accurately, he noticed something missing. Where was all the screaming?

If the abomination had made it into the human's realm, then surely the humans must've been attacked by now. Why did he hear no screaming? Had the humans found a way to contain the beast when he had been unable to? It was a blow to his pride to admit it, but he certainly hoped the beast was down. He wanted to return to his nest.

He gave a weak hiss as he stepped away from the aging Rex's paddock. He felt so old. He turned back, giving up. If the beast was here, it must've been contained. If it wasn't here, Dracul was unlikely to ever find the abomination again.

Considering his job done, he trudged back to his nest, grateful the humans never noticed him. He didn't want them to panic and attack him. He would go back to his cage on his own. Just as he turned around to head towards the exit, something slammed into his side.

It was the Spino-Rex! The abomination had appeared out of nowhere, it had been hiding from him, and rammed the large Spinosaurus. Dracul was sent careening into one of the buildings. He could hear his bones creak from the hit. While Dracul was dazed, the abomination grabbed him by his neck and swung the smaller beast around.

Dracul slammed into another building, causing cracks to appear on the solid concrete. Dracul realized that he had slammed into the Powerful One's paddock when he heard faint growls on the other side. Dracul righted himself and tried to muster some defense, but the Spino-Rex was too aggressive.

Dracul realized his mistake as the abomination grabbed him again and sent him into yet another building. He had immediately discounted any intelligence the beast may have had. Which was why he had fallen into this simple trap. He hadn't been expecting the beast to have the ability to pull something like this off.

And yet, Dracul didn't give up without a fight. He bit and tore into the abomination's tough skin, trying to slow it down. But Dracul didn't make much progress. At least he was still alive to fight, he would just have to be more careful now. Dracul made an attempt to disengage, but the Spino-Rex blocked his path. So Dracul stood his ground and let out a challenging roar. One thing still bothered him, he still heard no screams from the humans.

XXX

Owen and Sam had been sitting in the coffee shop for some time. And yet, no one else had appeared. The coffee shop was empty, only a few random employees stood behind the counter with bored looks on their faces. Today was a slow day.

"How long has it been?" Owen groaned. He was itching for some excitement. Today was the day they were supposed to free themselves. Sam was struggling with a similar excitement.

"Nearly half an hour," she replied, putting her phone away. She let out a sigh, "You'd think one of them would've killed the other by now."

Although they had no idea why they were fighting, they knew that Gordon and King were trying to kill each other. Why they hadn't done so already was unknown to them, but they knew only one of them was going to emerge from the building.

Owen and Sam continued to stare at the entrance to the Innovation Center, knowing that one of their enemies would exit through those doors soon. What they did not expect was loud fire alarms that pierced the silence.

They immediately jumped to their feet and ran out of the coffee shop, the employees running after them. They took one look at the Innovation Center and saw the white flames burning high. "They must still be fighting," Owen observed.

The employees and the few people who were on Main Street at the time ran. It was protocol to get as far away from the fire as they could. The fire was white and clearly dangerous, yet Sam and Owen stayed. "I never imagined their brawl would escalate this far," Sam mumbled.

"Who do you think did that?" Owen asked, pointing towards the blaze. They decided to stay and watch the fire, still expecting one of them to exit through the main doors.

"My money's on King," Sam growled. Although she would like to blame the fire on the good doctor, she knew that he had immense control over his abilities. And, for whatever reason, did not want to harm Jurassic World. Starting the fire was likely King's doing.

They stood for several minutes, watching the fire blaze, and no one emerging victorious. "You don't think they used a side door, do you?" Owen asked.

Sam's eyes widened in realization as she smacked her hand to her head, face-palming her own stupidity. Of course they could've exited through any number of doors. The victor could be anywhere or, even worse, they could've settled on a stalemate. Sam growled to herself as the fire spread, Owen took note of her apparent anger.

"I'm sure they didn't get far. Perhaps we should go look for them," Owen suggested carefully. He knew that Sam was even more desperate than he was to be free from both Freeman and King. Although it was obvious to both of them that King was bad news, Owen wasn't quite so sure if he was willing to kill the good doctor.

Freeman had been there for him, helping him along and slowly figuring out what ailed him. But there was that nagging voice in the back of his mind, he wasn't sure if it was Alpha or not, that said Freeman knew what was wrong from the beginning. That he hid it from Owen... maybe to force him to his side. Freeman _was_ a crafty one.

Sam sighed, "We might as well..." she cut herself off. She went stock still, Owen could only stare at her in confusion. "Did you feel that?" she asked.

Owen raised an eyebrow, "Feel what?" Just as he said that, the ground began to shake. Sam had just noticed it before he did. Was it an earthquake?

"That," Sam said simply. Owen opened his mouth to say something, but Sam shushed him just as he began to speak. "Do you hear that?" she asked, holding up a single finger.

Owen concentrated hard, and he did hear something. It sounded like something _huge_ was growling. And it was getting closer. "Yeah... what is that?" Owen asked.

Sam pointed in the direction the sound was coming, but said nothing. They were quiet for a moment, as the pounding became faster and louder, and the growls sounded closer. It was definitely _something_ , but Owen couldn't identify what it was.

Closer and closer it came, until Owen realized that it could only be one thing. Of course, how could he be so stupid. Dr. Freeman wouldn't dare fight King without an ace in the hole. _Did he really?_ Owen pondered just as a massive white shape burst into view with a loud roar!

"He released Saber," Owen mumbled, awestruck by the massive white beast. It looked so much _bigger_ outside of her cage.

"The Indominus?" Sam squeaked. Two wereraptors were no match for the massive apex predator. _Did he know that we were going to betray him?_ Sam wondered. "Move!" she cried out as the Indominus locked its blood-red eyes on the two humans. It let out a vicious roar and charged at them.

Owen threw himself to the side, avoiding the frantic charge. He noted the blood on the Indominus' flank and figured that Saber had already fought an opponent. That thought boosted his confidence, if she was injured, they could take her!

Sam had already shed her human form and began to circle the large beast, waiting for Owen to do the same. Owen ducked into cover to give himself a moment to transform, hoping Sam could hold Saber off until he finished. He hadn't tried out his new Raptor form yet and was unsure how long it would take.

His skin burst open, revealing vivid, blue scales and his eyes shifted to red. The transformation took less than a minute, Omega had helped speed up the process. At least he understood the urgency of the situation. _"Don't worry, I'll help you along,"_ Omega promised.

 _That's right,_ Owen realized, he had never actually had full control of his Raptor form before. Either of them. This was a new experience, an exciting one, and he was being thrust into combat immediately. _This might end badly,_ he realized.

But Omega forced that thought far into the back of his mind and helped him advance on the massive beast. He and Sam ran circles around Saber's legs, searching for a weak point. They found two. A huge gash on her side, as well as her throat which had been torn open. They would be able to inflict serious damage at those points.

 _"_ _There's no way she could've survived those two attacks!"_ Owen cried out, dodging the Indominus' claws. It was at that moment that Owen realized something was off. _"This isn't Saber,"_ he mumbled to himself. He had thought that it was just seeing her out in the open that was making her seem larger, but now he could tell, this Indominus _was much larger than Saber._

And, upon closer inspection, Owen noted several different characteristics between this Indominus and Saber. Whatever _it_ was, _it_ was not Saber. _"What?"_ Sam cried out as she jumped onto the beast's back and tried to attack the open wound.

 _"_ _This isn't Saber! This is some other abomination!"_ Owen shouted. He had been running circles around the Indominus, just trying to keep it from attacking Sam. It was working, but he had been nicked a few times as punishment.

 _"_ _It must be King's secret weapon!"_ Sam realized. She abandoned her position just as the Indominus' turned around to attack her. Its jaws _snapped_ at the position she had just occupied. She breathed out a sigh of relief, she was still alive.

Owen took the opportunity to leap straight up and latch onto the Indominus' neck. He bit and tore, but the beast didn't show any signs of pain. It just kept coming. It managed to dislodge Owen and throw him to the ground, but Sam caught its attention before it could end Owen's life.

Owen groaned as he picked himself up off the ground, _"You have to be faster!"_ Omega urged. Owen nodded to himself. Although he had never been in control of his Alpha form, he had heard testaments from Sam about Alpha's speed.

Brute force was getting him nowhere in this fight, judging by the beating Sam had already taken. She was bruised and battered and had several scratches running down her side. And the Indominus looked no worse for wear than it already was. Their attacks were ineffective.

 _If only I could take Alpha's form,_ Owen growled to himself. He had no idea how to release his innermost self. His instinct. Omega didn't offer any help, whether it was by choice or by force, Owen was not sure. So he kept fighting in Omega's form.

He leapt up and clawed once more at the Indominus' side, but it completely ignored him and focused down Sam. _"SAM!"_ Owen cried out when the Indominus lunged at her and managed to grab her in its powerful jaws. There was a crunching sound and Owen was thrown off by the Indominus' vicious shaking.

XXX

Claire and Hamada had made it all the way to the auditorium, despite the ringing of the fire alarm. The fire was spreading quickly, but it was still contained in the auditorium. Claire and Hamada reached the auditorium just as the doors opened and someone walked out.

It was Masrani. He carried in his arms a girl no older than twenty-eight. Claire raised a delicate eyebrow, "Who's that?" she asked.

Hamada stiffened when he laid eyes on Mary Giddings. He had thought Dr. Freeman put her down for good in the main room of the Innovation Center. No wonder the building was on fire, Mary must've set them. "Are you alright, sir?" Hamada asked.

"I'm fine. I have no idea who this is, but she was still alive and I didn't want her to burn in there, so I grabbed her," Masrani explained. He had shed his suit jacket and was wearing a simple white button-up with a black tie.

"Was there anyone else in there?" Claire asked. Masrani set Mary down as they talked. She wasn't that heavy, but Masrani didn't want to stand around asking questions while carrying the girl.

"There were two InGen soldiers, but they were both dead. She isn't waking up, so I was going to take her to the hospital," Masrani explained.

"He must've moved on," Claire said, "And taken King with him." At least she hoped that was the case. Hamada nodded in agreement. The fire was raging and spreading, it wasn't going to be long until it consumed the entire building.

"Let's go," Claire said and headed towards the nearest exit. They had no idea where they were, but if Gordon had captured King, he would likely take him to a holding cell. For interrogation... or perhaps torture. So that was the direction they headed in first.

Masrani looked down at the unconscious girl. She was out cold and wasn't responding to any of his attempts to wake her. But she was still breathing, so he had saved her. He grunted as he lifted her and headed towards the hospital. The hospital was, thankfully, not connected to the Innovation Center. It was nearby, but not connected.

Claire and Hamada rushed towards the barracks, hoping to get to Dr. Freeman before he did anything drastic. As they approached, they could clearly see a body lying against the barracks. Dread set into Claire's stomach as she recognized the white lab coat. "Gordon!" she cried out, but they were too late to save him.

They ran up to the barracks to see the broken and beaten Dr. Freeman lying against one of the walls. The wall had been painted red. Hamada bent down to observe the wound Gordon sustained. To his surprise, he could still hear the good doctor breathing. "He's alive," Hamada said, surprised.

"Can we help him?" Claire asked worriedly. She had placed a hand over her mouth as she witnessed how brutal King was willing to be. Gordon had been shot through the chest, despite him already bleeding from several places, and left to die slumped next to the barracks.

"I'm not sure," Hamada whispered. "I think he's been holding on this long thanks to his powers, but it looks like they did a number on his own body," he observed, pointing out the multitude of lacerations down his arms.

"But he's still breathing! His heart is still beating! We can save him, right?" Claire asked.

Hamada shook his head slowly, "There's nothing I can do to stabilize him, and he would only worsen if we tried to move him..." he managed to get out, before he was interrupted by a hand against his head.

Hamada had bent down to Gordon's level to check his wounds. Dr. Freeman had given up forcing his heart to beat. He knew that it was a long-shot, staying alive, hoping that someone would come and save him. So he gave up resisting the pain and freed his muscles. He gave up keeping his lungs and heart working and let them slowly come to a stop.

With his arms free to move, he created a physical bridge between his own body and Hamada's mind to help bolster the connection. And with one last, dying, breath, he sent a telepathic pulse through Hamada's mind, transferring and immense amount of information.

Hamada grew even more grim. He had seen comrades die in combat before, but none of them had been able to do what Freeman had done. Freeman had sent him the key, the final step to save Jurassic World.

Hamada brandished Claire's handgun, "Come one. He's gone, we have a war to end." Claire looked at him, he was showing rare anger. Hamada was enraged by what King had done not just to Freeman, but what he was doing to Jurassic World.

As Hamada stood up, Claire bent down. She managed to compose herself and not weep, but she did sniffle once. She closed the good doctors faded, violet eyes, for they would never open again, and silently promised to give him a decent burial when this was all over.

"He was wrong... King was so very wrong," Claire mumbled to herself as she stood. She glared in the direction Hamada had already started to walk in. "Let's go skewer that little toad. Not just for Dr. Freeman, but for the whole of Jurassic World." And with that statement, they broke out into a run, heading towards the landing strip on the western side of the island.

XXX

Lowery and control had watched the entirety of the Spino v Spino-Rex fight. It had seemed Dracul was winning at first, but Capax managed to ambush the experienced Spino. Control watched, biting their nails, as Dracul was thrown around like a rag-doll.

"Capax is too big for Dracul to face alone," one of the members of control said.

"We need more teeth," Lowery vaguely heard Vivian say behind him. The gears were already turning in his mind. He realized where Dracul and Capax were fighting and he had an idea of how to even the playing field. But he had no idea if it would work. It might just lead to a free-for-all... but it was worth a shot.

"Release Rexy."

XXX

 **And yet another one down. I wanted to add the last part (despite how short it was) so I could hold on to a bit of suspense for the next chapter. Obviously the question of what Rexy's role in all of this has been answered, but is she going to help Dracul or get into a huge free-for-all? And Gordon has officially drawn his last breath, but we'll be getting one more piece with him next chapter. The other Indominus has beaten Saber (I wonder how she's doing...) and is attacking Main Street, only Owen and Sam can stop it! But Sam was caught by its deadly jaws, is she alright? Stay tuned to find out!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 31 - Amaranthine:

Author's Note:

 **I finally got WORD! So I spent the past few days transferring everything from office to Word, and then deleting office. At last, my suffering is over! The last chapter was intense, don't you think? So many uncertainties. And some of you have brought up good points: if the other Indominus has made it to Main Street... what happened to Saber? All shall be answered soon... so please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _ **Static**_ _7: 10 years until anomaly, 27 until accident_ _ **Static**_

 _A psychic is not born with his/her trademark violet eyes. A psychic is born like any normal human, with a single exception. They do not possess and Id. Instead, they develop a Superego, to help contain their latent power until they turn seven._

 _It is impossible to tell if a child will have a gift, even if they have high latent ESP, they could still end up without any powers. The chances of a child being born a psychic without either of his/her parents being such is about three percent._

 _Having a single parent as a psychic raises that percent marginally to anywhere between thirteen percent and twenty-eight percent depending on if the parent is male or female and how strong he/she is._

 _Having both parents be psychics raises that percent to a whopping fifty-five percent! But it's still not a guarantee, it is still possible to not have any powers. But it is extremely unlikely that the child not have at least an immense ESP rating._

 _I was a bit different. I was born with the violet eyes. An anomaly, I know, but I did not display any powers. Both of my parents had powers and violet eyes, so I just assumed it was hereditary. I had no idea that they were psychics until I turned seven._

 _ **Static**_ _6: 3 years until anomaly, 20 until accident_ _ **Static**_

 _It was of great surprise to me when I found out. My mother came from a long line of psychics and everyone on her side of the family knew of her prowess. She was the seventh psychic from her family line in the past three generations._

 _My father was quite different. He was the first psychic he knew of from his family line. And that made him much weaker than my mother. He displayed weak telepathy, only getting marginally stronger with age._

 _But my mother, on the other hand, was incredibly powerful when compared to the average psychic. Able to use telekinesis was an amazing feat in the psychic community, and she was adept at the ability. And she was no slouch when it came to telepathy either, easily outpacing my father._

 _After a few years of marriage, my father had become stronger just by being in the same vicinity as my mother. Together, they formed one of the strongest psychic pairings in the world. It would've been no surprise if their son was just as strong._

 _Only I wasn't. It only takes a few minutes after a psychic turns seven to access their powers... but I never did. My parents were understandably disappointed. My father never quite gave up on me, despite it all. He waited two years before giving up. Two years before he finally understood._

 _My eyes were just for show. Nothing more. Nothing less. That year, when I turned nine, the only other psychic member of my family died. My grandmother was an ancient woman, over one-hundred and fifteen years old. She died of brain cancer._

 _ **Static**_ _5: time of the anomaly, 17 years until accident_ _ **Static**_

 _But I never truly gave up. Sure, I was content on being a normal kid, but somewhere in the back of my mind was an idea. Why am I not like them? I never stopped trying to read people's minds or bend spoons. In fact, I carried a spoon around with me at all times, stopping at random points in the day to practice._

 _I never made any progress, but it never dampened my spirits. As far as normal went, I had friends, enemies, and yes, even a girlfriend. I was happy, despite the looming thought of how close I was to being a God-like being like my parents._

 _My mother especially. She never liked to boast about it, but she was exceptional at the psychic arts. She received challenges often, each one she annihilated with a passing glance. That's how far above she was compared to the average stock._

 _I was ten when the anomaly happened. I was in fifth grade at the time. We went on a simple field trip, to a nearby forested mountain. A camping trip with my classmates, and I never thought it as anything else._

 _I stuck close by my friends and girlfriend and avoided those I disliked. Our instructor was kind and we had a nice tour guide. The plan was to camp half-way up the smallish mountain, deep within the forest. It was a good place for star-gazing._

 _Which happened to be the purpose of the trip. We had just started our Astronomy unit and our instructor wanted to show us the stars in real life. Not just through a lens or through a picture, no we got the real deal._

 _It was a mistake, of course. We were scheduled to stay the night. Everything was going fine, we got there in time, no one was injured, and we saw the stars. Everything was fine as we slept, but problems emerged when we awoke._

 _Awoke to find bears had invaded our campsite. Not just one bear, a family of four. They had a cub with them, which only made them more dangerous. We tried a variety of ways to escape, none of which worked. It wasn't until one of the bears attacked and heavily wounded our guide that I realized we were doomed._

 _The cub wandered too close to me, and the mother must've recognized me as a threat. Despite the fact that I wasn't moving. She rose up on her hind legs to attack me and I did the only thing I could think of, I tried to kill her with my mind._

 _It sounded absurd at the time, mostly because I hadn't even manifested the most basic ability of telepathy. But I tried anyways. I stood stock still and closed my eyes tightly, fear rushing through my systems. I didn't imagine just killing the bear, I imagined breaking her._

 _Bones shattering, heart bursting, brain melting kind of killing. It wasn't a pretty picture, but I was terrified and desperate. At the very moment she bared down on me, I felt something release deep within me. I still had my eyes closed so I didn't realize what had happened until a few minutes later._

 _Silence. It was the oddest thing because just moments ago, my friends wouldn't stop screaming. But now, I couldn't even hear the chirping of the birds. I cracked my eyes to see what had happened. Perhaps a nearby hunter killed the bears, saving us. Or perhaps I had died, despite me not feeling any pain._

 _What I saw was a level of destruction I had not expected. The bear before me had just... crumbled. It was as if all of her bones had been broken and she just shattered into a million pieces. I was obviously frightened, as I had not yet realized that_ _ **I had done this.**_

 _I continued to look around. The other bears had been killed in a less violent manor, but they were still dead, bleeding from every orifice. My classmates had suffered similar tragedies. The nearest ones to me had their eyes explode from the power I had released. The ones farthest from me had just collapsed, bleeding from wounds that had opened up all over their bodies._

 _I continued to look around, what had happened dawning on me. Dead birds littered the ground, I could see squirrels that had fallen from trees, plants and even trees had wilted in my immediate vicinity. I had released a shock-wave of power that killed everything in a two-mile radius._

 _I was, admittedly, confused. On the one hand, I had finally released my power, and I was strong. On the other, I had killed all of my friends. So I didn't feel anything that day..._

 _ **Static**_ _4: 12 years until accident_ _ **Static**_

 _My parents covered for me to the best of their abilities. The erased minds, rewrote entire memories, and asked me to never speak of this incident again. But, even through all of that, I could tell how excited they were._

 _They asked me to show them my power... thankfully I didn't kill them, though I did make my father collapse. Together, my parents made up the top percentile of the psychic community. I was leagues ahead of them. At their best estimate, I was over seven thousand times as strong as my father, a feat I was initially happy with._

 _But my limit was telepathy. I could do anything with it, things that psychics had thought impossible. I could heal minor injuries at an astonishing rate, I could keep a person's heart beating long past when it was supposed to stop, I could even extend a person's life well past its limits._

 _Many of these powers I refused to use, for the sake of my own sanity. If my mother was God-like, I was the holy trinity in one being. My strength was... unwieldy at first. If my mind even touched another person's, I would kill them instantly, unless they had a_ _ **very**_ _strong barrier in place, and even then, they would often collapse._

 _I couldn't use my powers, lest I kill and maim others. As I continued my schooling, I grew distant. I stayed away from people, only connecting with one or two who were no where near my level of ability. It was for their own good, I would ration._

 _The downside of this immense power was that I would never get any stronger. There was no need for me to be any stronger, I was already the absolute strongest telepath in the world. But, over the years, I gained something more valuable. Control._

 _I learned to control my powers, and soon, I could make contact with humans again. Without fear of killing them, unless I expressly wanted to. Very few ever found out about my secret, and those few never figured out my exact limits. I still don't forgive myself for killing my father's dog._

 _ **Static**_ _3: 1 year until accident_ _ **Static**_

 _I decided upon majoring in psychology. It was the only career I could think would benefit from psychic intervention. Now that I ponder upon it, I could've gone for 'judge' and just inherently know whether someone was innocent or not. But I never really connected with law, so I stuck with psychology._

 _At age 26, I was just finishing the refinement of my powers. I could slip into another's mind, regardless of its defense, and get out completely undetected. I had found no one that could compare with me, and even those who wished they could never lasted more than a few seconds of being in the same vicinity as me._

 _I received my doctorates a few years earlier and decided to go to California to teach. I taught a high level psychology course for a few years before I decided to start my own course and lab with it. With a sizable grant and approval from the dean of the school, I started my own class._

 _I didn't expect to see_ _ **her**_ _again. I never expected to see_ _ **her**_ _again. When she was still called Marie. I knew from the instant I met her that she was special. Her and her sister both. When comparing the two, her sister edged her out in latent ESP rating. I was actually excited about seeing her again._

 _I asked her to apply for a lab position. She became aware of exactly what I was and eagerly signed on. I used her as a test subject in the early days of my lab, for it was just me and her. Those days I remember fondly, we would enjoy laugh and research until the dead of night when we would realize what time it was._

 _I remember one day when she begged me to try drinking. I had figured that alcohol would prove dangerous, and I was partially correct. It turns out that I have a high tolerance, but the moment it hits... boom. I lose control briefly before being rendered completely unresponsive. I vowed to never drink again. Thankfully no one died._

 _But as the year progressed, we received several applications from bright students who were interested in our research. Either that, or they were arrogant enough to want psychic powers themselves. After all, we were testing whether or not it was possible to awaken these powers in average human beings. If my father had them, why couldn't you? I would ask that question repeatedly._

 _Research proved fruitful, but we never advanced towards testing our theories. For one, it would require a huge amount of alpha waves sent directly into a specific part of the brain in order to awaken these powers. Besides the fact that it was extremely unlikely that anyone would be able to survive such an encounter, as I knew all too well from experience, it was only theoretical._

 _We were hesitant to continue with our research with that fact in mind. I knew that I could generate the required level of alpha waves in order for the awakening to happen, but no one wanted to test a theory that was likely to kill its subjects. And anyone nearby to boot._

 _But I refused to give up. I devised a simple plan, if I regulate the amount flowing of alpha waves flowing into the brain, it should awaken the person if only at a much slower rate. It was something that I knew I could do, but the others were hesitant to agree._

 _ **Static**_ _2: year of accident_ _ **Static**_

 _I won out in the end. I suggested that we use someone with a unusually high latent ESP rating to minimize the probability of catastrophic failure. A person with a high ESP rating should be able to handle the excess alpha waves._

 _Marie jumped at the opportunity. I, still not entirely confident, turned her down. I claimed that her rating was too low, but her sister's was much better. It was a lie, their ESP ratings were practically identical. I just didn't want to harm her incase something went wrong._

 _She griped and groaned, but eventually conceded when I promised that I would unlock her power after we published our findings. So there I was, a confident 27 year old who thought he would make the next big break through in science. I was, of course, very, very wrong._

 _I laid Mary down on a simple operating table. Marie stood next to me as my four other assistants stood back. They were all aware of my power, and didn't want to be anywhere near me when I released my strength. Not that it would save them._

 _I could feel the blood rushing from my eyes as an ocean of alpha waves filled the air. I could tell everyone in the room was struggling to remain conscious as I started to funnel the alpha waves into Mary's brain. It was a slow process, as I was careful not to break her._

 _I was not careful enough. Her brain immediately began to reject my alpha waves, putting up surprisingly strong shields. I forced more of my power into her in response... the barrier grew in strength proportional to the amount of power I funneled in._

 _But there was a very clear, human limit. I broke past that barrier, but to my chagrin, I couldn't get her mind to accept my alpha waves. Her latent power and my real power mixed and boiled over before I could stop it, resulting in a catastrophic meltdown._

 _The blast came without warning, catching even me by surprise. A pulse of alpha waves blasted throughout the room and, as I would later discover, across the university campus. I was forced backwards, unable to physically protect myself, but my mental shields prevented my mind from being damaged._

 _I got up slowly, a huge cut had opened across my chest, blood pouring from the wound. I made it over to Mary, trying to see if she lived. I had thought, at first, that I succeeded. But I wasn't even close. I checked her mind, she was alive but not responding. No matter what I did, I could not wake her from her coma._

 _I vaguely noticed Marie and my other assistants down on the ground. I checked one of them... dead. So assumed they all must've died. My actions reached me in that moment, I had killed again. I had thought I was stronger than this! I had thought I had_ _ **control!**_ _But my control was just an illusion._

 _I was ruined. I would be fired and never allowed back into academia... so I ran. It was the only thing I could think of. I ran far, and I ran fast. I made it on a plane to Siberia just as the story was playing on the news._

 _I made it out of the United States and into Russia within the day. I never knew Marie survived, nor held me responsible. I didn't know King's wife had died. I didn't know that I had actually been successful that day. I didn't know both Marie and King's daughter had awoken their abilities._

 _ **Static**_ _1: Five years after accident_ _ **Static**_

 _I lived in Siberia for a few years. I had managed to build myself a home in the wilderness and survive for years before I was forced to move. A Russian official had tracked me down and knocked on my door. Only just now do I realize that King had sent him._

 _So I did the only logical thing. I killed him and moved on. I made my way down through Russia and eventually into Germany. That's where Masrani found me. It is now my firm belief that King had convinced Masrani to come to Germany and set up our meeting and my eventual hiring._

 _I wonder how long King has been plotting to kill me. How deep does it go? Or am I just crazy? Questions that I can no longer ask myself._

 _So I accepted the job offering. In Germany, I had started up a small psychology business. Jurassic World paid out three times my small business, I didn't have much of a choice. I was surprised when I found out I would be working with their most dangerous asset, but I didn't even flinch._

 _My job was to rehabilitate her, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn't supposed to be her trainer, I was just supposed to pave the way for someone else. I was supposed to_ _ **fix... her.**_ _I immediately noticed the problem with that when I met her._

 _It wasn't the most pleasant of first meetings... I had to force her to the ground in order to get her attention. It worked, but she held me in contempt for several days. We eventually connected on a level that I had never thought possible._

 _She was the first being that I accepted into my mind. Maybe it was naive to believe that I could spend an eternity with her. Perhaps I deserved this end. Even now I wonder if she ever wanted to live through the ages with me as her only companion. Would that damage her even more?_

 _ **Static**_ _End_ _ **Static**_

 _Ah, my seven minutes are up. Perhaps King was indeed justified. Do I really deserve more than this? As a monstrous God... who has killed hundreds, nay, thousands of living beings... don't I deserve a shameful death? Something that forces me to see how pathetic I truly am..._

 _I wouldn't be able to live eternally with her. My own power would prevent that. Even when I was alive, I could feel my body constantly in a state of crumbling. My own power destroyed my body, and each time I released my full power, I could feel my body break just a little bit more._

 _I could extend my life as long as I wanted, but the fact remained that eventually my body would turn to dust around my mind. Maybe King was just trying to instill in me that simple lesson. I could not, even for all of my power, achieve immortality. And that very fact meant that I had lost even before the game began._

 _No... I still have my trump card. I was always meant to be the sacrificial pawn, just because King believes he has won doesn't mean I can't snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. She can still save Jurassic World..._

 _ **STATIC**_

XXX

Claire and Hamada rushed towards the western side of the island. A year and a half after the Indominus was contained, several wealthy Chinese businessmen insisted on flying in to sponsor Saber's recovery program. Jurassic World didn't have an airport and they refused to take the thirty odd day trip by boat.

So Jurassic World spent a sizable sum to put in an airstrip. It was a sound investment, however, many of Jurassic World's backers preferred flying over sailing. It was nothing more than a long line of concrete laid on the far western side of the island, where nothing else was placed, but it was worth its weight in gold to Masrani. He himself preferred air over sea ever since he began his helicopter piloting lessons.

Hamada led the way, Claire just a few steps behind him, despite the fact she was wearing heels. She was surprisingly quick in her three inch heels, not to mention she was more athletic than one would suspect. She was having very little trouble keeping up with Hamada.

They both reached the airport just as King was stepping on the plane. "Freeze!" Hamada yelled out, pointing the handgun at King. He realized that he sounded like a fool shouting _freeze,_ but it was the best way to get King's attention.

King turned around on the staircase leading to the plane, not at all surprised by Hamada and Claire showing up. He smirked slightly as Anderson stepped off of the plane, holding his pistol, and moved in front of King.

Anderson aimed directly at Hamada, neither man willing to fire. Claire ground her teeth together when she saw the smug look on King's face. "Anderson," she growled. Although Anderson didn't make any attempt to show that he had heard her. But King only grinned wider.

"Well hello there, fancy meeting you here," King said cheerfully, his smirk betraying all of his malice. He was not upset at being caught on the run, he had already won. "Mostly because I thought you were dead," he said, motioning at Claire.

"You should hire better hit men," she snarled at him. He didn't seem at all fazed by her rage. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Get on the plane, sir, I'll handle this," Anderson urged, trying to push King onto the plane.

King shook his head, "When have you known me to be a coward, Anderson?" He shoved Anderson to the side and stepped in front of his only bodyguard. Hamada immediately aimed at King's head. "Besides, I think she deserves to understand. This is her life, her only purpose, after all," he grinned gesturing towards the park.

Anderson refused to stand down, however. He kept his gun pointing directly at Hamada. King didn't seem fazed by either of them, as he descended a few more steps. "What's it all for, you ask?" he said.

Claire continued to glare at him. "All I wanted was to kill the monster, not just for me, but for everyone else it's harmed. Jurassic World was just a necessary loss," he explained. He continued stepping down from the stairs until he reached solid ground once more.

"You're wrong," she growled, "there was no monster here for you to slay."

King continued approaching her, until he stood directly in front of her. He ignored the gun placed against his forehead by Hamada. But Hamada didn't pull the trigger. "Wasn't there? You think that pathetic thing you saw lying on the ground wasn't a monster? He's obviously corrupted you, and in that moment of weakness you declared him something he wasn't," he chuckled.

"Bastard," Claire snarled, but she didn't try to make an argument. She instead took a step backwards, trying to gain distance between her and him. Hamada remained rooted to the ground, if he moved, Anderson would fire. Hamada had to wait until he was in a position to take out Anderson, King didn't seem to be armed.

King grinned, "He smiles at you in the form of a trustworthy therapist, or pulls at your heart-strings in the guise of a world-worn psychologist. So many faces a monster has, and all of them stolen! All of them lies! I despise him," King growled, "every cell in my body called for his annihilation. So I destroyed his kingdom and cast him down into the dust!"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, if he was a monster, then you are twice the monster he was," she claimed, after a moment of hesitation.

King snorted, "Fitting it took a man, with the trappings of a monster to slay a monster, with the trappings of a man. I do not deny what I am, but I assert that _he is what made me like this"_

Claire stared at the clearly insane man, awestruck by his declaration. It was not easy to admit to oneself that one is a monster, the scourge of humanity. Destined to be hunted to extinction. But King had made the remark so casually.

"You know so little about him, how dare you claim that he is not deserving of this fate! Look at destruction around you! All of this because of his very existence," King claimed, once again gesturing to the park in the distance. Anderson walked up next to him and, still pointing the gun at Hamada, pulled King behind him.

Slowly, the two backed towards the plane just as the engines started. Their time was up. Just before King made it into the plane, Claire called out, "You won't get away with this!" She was struggling to contain tears, she wasn't sure why.

Perhaps because she knew, deep in her heart, King would never pay for any of this. In the end, there wouldn't be a Jurassic World to press charges. By the way King spoke, she was unlikely to make it off the island alive. He had won.

King grinned one final time, just as the doors were shutting, and called out, "It wouldn't matter even if I didn't!" Anderson shut the door and the plane began to take off, Claire and Hamada powerless to stop it.

Soon the plane was gone. Claire trembled with righteous fury, they had failed. She barely noticed Hamada place his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, trying, and failing, to contain her tears. Jurassic World meant a lot to her, she had put so much work in... to see it all be destroyed hurt her more than anything else.

"We need to get moving," Hamada said. He didn't bother trying to comfort her, he wouldn't have been able to. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, composing herself once more into the unbreakable Claire Dearing. They had to save Jurassic World.

XXX

Saber lay bleeding on the hard ground. She had lost, plain and simple. Her breath was ragged and short, her windpipe had been damaged. But the other Indominus had just left, not bother to finish her off. So she was left to suffer alone.

She knew that she was going to die, it hurt to breath and she knew that she would eventually lose consciousness from the pain. She struggled hard, trying to get up. But she collapsed back to the ground, moving only made it all hurt more.

She growled to herself, she had been arrogant. She believed that she could handle anything King could throw at her, but she didn't expect to be facing another Indominus. Correction, a faux Indominus.

What she had fought had been some sort of crossbreed. A hybrid of a hybrid, and abomination to sit atop all others. Even her own wretched, twisted existence was only half the atrocity of nature her foe was. Was that why she lost? Because she wasn't enough of a freak?

 _No, that can't be it,_ she thought. Deep down, she knew that her opponent was nothing more than a tortured soul. A twisted version of herself. She knew that the other Indominus was just that, _another Indominus._

She wasn't sure why she was so angry at that fact. She should be elated. She wasn't alone... she had been alone for so long. She had forgotten what another Indominus sounded like, for she only had her own skewed perception of herself. She couldn't even remember any fond memories of when she was but a hatchling, when her sister was still alive.

But her only memory of her sister was of her killing the underfed hatchling. Bile rose in her throat as the memory made itself known. The other Indominus tasted just like her sister, and the fact made her upset to her stomach.

All of it, her memory, being alone, blood of her own kind staining her claws once again, culminated in a single fact. She did not want to fight the other Indominus. She didn't want to be alone anymore. But the other Indominus was an enemy.

No... no it isn't. Or at least, she couldn't be sure of it. The other Indominus was being controlled. What if it was actually friendly? Or would be willing to negotiate? She scoffed at that thought. It was a vain hope, it was her grasping at straws.

The other Indominus had been raised by King and obviously the little psychic girl. That means it had been corrupted since birth. But how deep did the corruption run? Was the other Indominus unsavable? The fact remained, she would have to kill it.

It was the source of her anger. To kill the other Indominus would be like killing herself. It was a conflict of interest... something that she never thought that she would have. She took in another slow breath, fire spread throughout her being.

She was starting to accept the fact that she was no longer able to fight. She couldn't even move... why was she pondering killing the other Indominus when she could no longer fight? Ah, that's right... it was why she had lost. It was why she will lose again, if she could fight again. She would lose every time, no matter how many times she fought.

The fact that she was destined to lose to some two-bit imitation... infuriated her? Should she be ashamed to lose to someone better than her? Was that why she kept challenging Dr. Freeman, even after she knew she would always lose? The lack of oxygen was making her feel light-headed. Static filled her head, she could no longer think clearly.

She exhaled slowly, the fire receding from her chest. She was grateful for the brief release from pain. An interlude that would not last long. She would eventually have to breath in again... unless she refused to do so. She could just give up now, stop breathing, and die here and now...

Her head relaxed as her hazy mind came to that conclusion. She could feel herself fading. It was an interesting feeling, it didn't hurt. Not anymore, at least. It was as if her mind was being sucked into a vacuum. It was like the most peaceful sleep she had ever gotten.

Her eyes settled on the west as they slowly began to close. She could see the sun beginning its decent below the horizon. It hadn't made it far yet, it was only half past noon, after all. But the sun wasn't what she had her eyes fixated on.

Just as her vision began to fade, she saw a brilliant ball of fire, much like the sun, but somehow different, appeared over the sea. Unlike the yellow of the sun, this ball of fire was a deep ruby red color. _How beautiful,_ was her only thought.

She was content. No longer did the fall of Jurassic World matter to her. King had made it seem like she would suffer throughout the entire process. She would be left alone in her cage to rot long after Jurassic World was gone. It was so much more peaceful than that image. Her eyes closed and she could feel the last of her being fade away...

 _Is that it?_

Her crimson eyes snapped open in surprise. Her vision was bleary, but there was clearly something standing over her. As her mind cleared, her breathing started to return to normal. She focused on the strange shadow hovering over her, willing them to condense into their true form.

 _Dr. Freeman!_ She realized as her eyes sharpened. He stood over her with a bored look on his face, his trademark nonchalantness. Her mind focused on a single memory, of when they first met. After he had forced her to the ground, he had fearlessly stood over her, just like this, and asked that very same question.

He wasn't taunting her. He wasn't even disappointed. He was just... concerned. Although she wouldn't realize it for months, Dr. Freeman was genuinely concerned for her well-being. It confused her, at first, because no one had ever cared for her before.

 _Ah, that's right,_ she realized. She wasn't alone. She had him... and he had her. She suspected that he was actually just as alone as she was, which made their meeting even more cliché. But she couldn't bring herself to care as she let out a loud growl and struggled to her feet.

She glared at the bored-looking human. _"Why did you come?"_ she asked. She could tell something was off, Dr. Freeman should still be fighting King. If he was here... did he win? If he won, why didn't he go ahead and defeat the other psychic controlling the other Indominus?

 _We haven't lost yet._

He seemed so unconcerned by his own words. _We haven't lost yet,_ could mean so many things. It was at that moment she realized that he was not really here. This was just an apparition, his phantom. He was dead, he had lost the battle.

But deep down, she knew that he had always intended to die. If he was here, then he had attached what was left of himself to her. With his strength now hers... she could win the war. The thought gave her energy and she let loose a vicious roar. A roar of no mercy.

 _That's right. There is no longer just 'you' nor just 'me'... only 'us.'_

She wasn't alone. She hadn't been alone for some time, but now that darkest of fears was gone forever. He had sacrificed himself to give her the edge... and connected to her in the most intimate of ways. He would be with her until the day she died. Hopefully, that day was not today.

 _I have opened your airways once more. What you have been fighting is but a shadow of your former self. You must destroy it... and win this frivolous war._

She let out another roar, this time calling her pack. Only one responded. Ferocious barks repeated over and over. None of the other Raptors responded, but this single one would be more than enough. For the one Raptor conscious was Blue.

XXX

 **Leaves you wanting more, no? We get to hear the last words of Dr. Freeman as he leaves his body behind and then bind himself to Saber forever. Which was what he had wanted to do all along. King manages to escape, but can Hamada and Claire save Jurassic World? We didn't get to see anything from Owen and Sam nor Dracul and Capax, but the thrilling conclusion of this great battle ends next chapter. I promise. Then we just have the cool-down chapter and the epilogue... and the final author's note. Oh... wait... what was that fireball in the sky Saber saw? I wonder if that'll be important... please stay tuned until next time!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 32 - Euneirophrenia:

Author's Note:

 **We're so close to the end that I can taste it. It's... strange almost. I've put an ungodly amount of time into this story, to have it end is going to feel... weird. I told you all how much is left to keep me from selfishly extending the story. All good things must come to an end, but that doesn't mean there won't be more good things in the future. And... well, I'll save that for another time. For now, please enjoy!**

XXX

Dracul hissed in agony as he was slammed against another building. He had been taking a relentless pounding for several minutes with no end in sight. He had fought many opponents throughout his life and he knew when to kill and when to humiliate.

The abomination was just humiliating him. Unless, for some reason, his opponent had no idea how to kill. In which case, the beast was even more of an embarrassment to nature. But Dracul's beat down had been lasting for several minutes, the fight should've been over.

Although Dracul kept fighting, the Spino-Rex was completely ignoring his pitiful attacks. If an opponent keeps fighting and refuses to submit, humiliation wasn't working. You were supposed to kill a stubborn opponent. But Dracul was still alive.

Dracul did his best to stand back up. He had been knocked down, but he was not finished. He refused to give up. He would not yield to an abomination! He managed to stand back up, an impressive feat considering how many times he had been slammed against buildings and how old he was, and let loose a loud roar.

The two titans slammed into each other once again. The Spino-Rex grabbed a hold of Dracul's neck and started to swing him around again. Dracul dug into the hard ground the best he could and tried to move in the opposite direction his opponent was dragging him. He was able to escape the beast's jaws, but not without a bloody chunk being ripped from the back of his neck.

Dracul could feel the warm liquid running down his back, pain spiked through his system. Dracul bared his fangs and prepared to meet his opponent head on again, but a new sound cut through their fighting. It was the grating sound of steel being moved. Something large was being pushed aside.

The Spino-Rex seemed distracted by whatever was making the sound, so Dracul risked a glance at what was happening. To his surprise, he saw a part of the wall that made up the Powerful One's paddock had vanished.

He gazed into the paddock, wondering why the wall had been lowered. It was surprisingly dark inside of the paddock. Although the sun still shone, the entrance into the paddock was covered in shade-providing ferns and trees.

The earth began to rumble, causing Dracul's heart to beat quicker and a tingling sensation run to run down his spine. _Is this fear?_ Dracul wondered. He had never been afraid of something before. When he was but a youngling, escaping from his prison, he knew he need not fear another being. Even now, when faced with certain death, he rushed head-on, not blinking even once.

He had never met a Powerful One that could compete with him, but he was well aware of the their strengths. And he knew this Powerful One was big. Not as big as him, but much older. And Dracul valued experience as much as size.

Dracul had his back against another building, his only exit was blocked by the Spino-Rex. Or, it would be, if the Spino-Rex hadn't turned around to look at the Rex paddock. Dracul could run if he wanted to, but he was rooted to the ground at the sight of the ancient Powerful One step free from her cage.

She was beautiful and deadly, a combination Dracul had never seen before. His good eye widened in surprise when she pointed her brilliant golden gaze at the two of them. Her eyes held such _contempt_ in them. She knew that she was the top dog, the queen that ruled the island. And the two of them dared to defy her rule, dared to cause a ruckus by her home, and _dared_ to disrupt the peace of her island.

Dracul could hear her suck in a huge breath and he watched as her dangerous jaws parted as a roar unlike any other pierced the silence. It commanded respect, it demanded fealty, and it sent a very simple message: _I'm going to kick your ass._

Dracul could do only one thing, roar in response. But not as a challenge, he wouldn't dare challenge _this_ Powerful One, especially in his current state. No, his roar was more of an invitation. Not necessarily a cry for help, but more of an acknowledgment of one's strength and usefulness.

The Spino-Rex took a step backwards when Rexy let loose her roar, clearly confused by the smallish creature that challenged him. So he sent a loud, challenging roar back at her. That was his first mistake. She trained her blazing gaze upon him and snorted, as if she was allowing a fool to take back a rude comment.

But the Spino-Rex refused to offer any apology. Instead, he made his second mistake. He growled and charged at the ancient Rex. Rexy seemed to scoff and she held her ground. Just as Capax was about to slam into Rexy and break her like one would a toothpick, Rexy skirted around him.

It was a graceful maneuver that Dracul knew that he himself would never be able to pull off. Rexy latched onto Capax's neck and squeezed a bit too hard, causing the young abomination to squeal in pain. Rexy easily shifted her weight, dragging the still moving beast with her.

She easily redirected his momentum, sending him careening into a concrete wall. Capax hit the wall with such force that the concrete mass shuddered and cracked. He collapsed to the ground, dazed, but managed to struggle to his feet. He shook his head and glared at the Rex.

Dracul shook himself out of his stupor as he watched Rexy counter the abomination. She was in a class all her own. Rexy's attack clearly had some effect on Capax, he was wobbling. Dracul immediately respected her skill and realized that the only way to put this beast down was to work together. So he moved to intercept the Spino-Rex just as he charged Rexy again.

Rexy once more stood her ground. The Spino-Rex was moving slower now, whether from Rexy's counter or from caution couldn't be seen. Just before he was upon her, she ducked underneath his deadly jaws and latched onto his neck. He began to claw at her, but the scratches left on her skin were shallow, she refused to let go.

Dracul slammed into the abomination's side, grabbing a hold of his spine and not letting go. The sound of bone breaking was audible as Dracul began to tear chunks from Capax's spine. It was at that moment Capax had enough. He grabbed a hold of Rexy and leaned down on her, his weight forcing her to the ground.

She involuntarily let go of his neck, allowing him to spin around and ram Dracul's injured shoulder again. Dracul roared in agony once more, taking a few steps back. Capax turned his attention back to Rexy.

He figured out that Rexy was more dangerous when she was directly facing him, as long as she couldn't get at his neck, he'd be fine. But Dracul was more dangerous on his side, so it suited him best to force them to switch roles.

He slashed at Rexy's face, causing her head to hit the ground with a painful smack, and then swung his hard tail at the advancing Dracul, smacking him in the face, causing him to veer off course. Taking advantage of the situation, Capax grabbed Rexy and lifted her with the best of his ability.

She struggled in his grasp, but was unable to escape. Capax sent Rexy skidding towards Dracul, forcing the Spino to back off, lest he be knocked over by the ancient Rex. Capax growled deeply and assessed the situation again, his yellow-green eyes narrowing at Rexy struggling to get up.

He charged at the duo, who were now both directly in front of him. He slammed into Dracul again while Rexy was still righting herself. Dracul fought hard, clawing and slashing at Capax, but the abomination ignored the feeble strikes.

Instead, Capax pinned the struggling Spino against a wall and grabbed his neck. Capax was at a loss on how to kill. No matter how hard he bit, Dracul didn't seem to die. So a different strategy had to be put in place. Break him.

Judging by the creaking of the old Spino's bones, he was about ready to fall apart. So Capax tossed Dracul to the ground and placed his foot against he chest, trying to crush the injured Spino. He could hear a few snaps, but Dracul was still breathing and struggling. The desperate Spino was snapping at Capax's feet, trying to force the abomination back, but to no avail.

It was at that moment Rexy struck. She threw all of her weight at the abomination's legs, throwing Capax off balance. He toppled to the ground and Rexy went straight for the neck. Capax wasn't going down without a fight. As Rexy grabbed a hold of his neck, so did he to her.

They both increased pressure exponentially, trying to force the other to let go. Although it seemed like Rexy's jaws were stronger, Capax was gaining the upper hand by clawing at her stomach. He was still on the ground and had a perfect vantage point of the soft Rex underbelly. The lacerations started out shallow, but quickly gained depth and bled heavily.

Rexy's grip lessened for just a fraction of a second, but it was more than enough for Capax. He doubled the pressure he was putting out, causing Rexy to choke, and started to stand, Rexy still in his jaws. Once he was on his feet, he forced Rexy to her knees. He continued to claw at her exposed stomach, the bleeding was getting bad. But Rexy did not cry out.

Dracul managed to get back on his feet, he was hurting bad and breathing was difficult. He could tell a few of his ribs had been broken, but he could still move without too much pain. His already poor vision was starting to fade, but he was able to make out the abomination standing over the ancient Rex, slowly killing her.

Dracul hesitated for just a moment. The Powerful One was not good enough. He was not good enough. How would they ever beat this monstrosity? Perhaps size and strength trumped experience... _No,_ Dracul growled to himself.

No, this was his chance. The female Rex sacrificed herself to distract the abomination. He had one shot at this, and one shot only. He would have to be fast.

Dracul charged at Capax, not roaring or growling, he needed as much of the element of surprise as possible. Dracul slammed into Capax with the force of a locomotive and grabbed his head with his jaws. He forced the stunned abomination down to his level as he placed his claws on his opponents jaws.

 _Snap!_ And it was over. Dracul's killing move, a clean break of the neck. The abomination was clearly part Powerful One, thus its neck was weak. Dracul wobbled slightly, the adrenaline wearing off. Pain came crashing back into him as he stumbled in his step. But he did not go down.

He cast a weary glance at the ancient Rex. He had been fighting Powerful Ones since his youth, to think that one had saved his life... was unbelievable. Every instinct in his body screamed to kill the injured Rex while he had a chance and take this island for himself.

But he refrained from acting on his instinct. He instead leaned over the heavily injured Rex, contemplating what to do. Rexy was still conscious and breathing, but the blood loss was starting to get to her. She wasn't going to be conscious much longer. She registered Dracul's massive jaws invading her space and was unable to do more than growl at him. An empty threat at best.

Dracul ignored the almost passive growl and licked at the Rex's wounds. Rexy seemed to relax when the male presented himself as non-violent. A deep rumble sat in her throat as he continued cleaning her wounds.

When the wounds were clean from dirt and blood, although the lacerations were still dripping, the Spino limped away from her. He was grateful for her saving him and was surprisingly angry at himself that he was unable to prevent her from receiving her wounds. At least his gentle grooming should be enough to keep her alive. He let her fall asleep in peace.

In the mean time, he heard conflict coming from the front of the Powerful One's paddock. His bones still ached and at least one of his ribs was shattered. He was still bleeding and his legs hurt. He would loiter around the Powerful One's cage and wait for the fighting to die down before investigating.

XXX

 _"_ _SAM!"_ Owen cried out as he was launched from the strange Indominus' back. He cared not for his own safety. A loud crunching sound filled the air and Owen knew that it was the sound of bones being shattered. He hoped Sam wasn't dead.

He watched as Sam was dropped from the other Indominus' mouth and hit the floor with a wet smack. Blood poured from her wound. The other Indominus turned to Owen and growled menacingly, daring him to attack it. Owen gnashed his teeth, but did not stand down. Sam couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.

Owen could feel the red haze beginning to take over his vision. He willed his rage to stay back, in hopes that he would be able to at least deter the beast. The other Indominus roared and lunged at Owen. Owen jumped to his right, hoping to evade the charging beast.

He didn't expect the other Indominus to turn suddenly, faster than Owen had thought possible for a creature of that size, and claw at him. Deep gashes opened up on his side as he rolled to avoid the snap of its jaws.

Now that it was just him against the monstrosity, he stood no chance. Not that he and Sam stood much of a chance to begin with. He risked a glance at Sam and saw her chest rise. He breathed a cautious sigh of relief, she was still alive. Even if her silvery-blue scales were coated red.

He turned back to glare at the other Indominus, secretly hoping his gaze would set the beast alight. But the Indominus did not shirk from his intensity, instead it challenged him with a furious roar. Owen let out a screech and prepared himself to strike.

Before the two combatants were able to leap at each other's throats, a second sound rang out through the Main Street Plaza. Owen was surprised to hear an equally furious roar, but more surprised to hear how much louder it was than his opponent's.

Both of them turned to see, in all her glory, the white devil herself, Saber, standing on the path that lead to the southern docks. Her bright crimson eyes burned with a fire that wished to consume the other Indominus.

Owen could feel hope settling back in his chest. Although Saber looked like she had gone through hell, she was flexing her black talons and snapping her jaws, clearly ready to fight. She lifted her head to the heavens and roared once more, tearing them apart with her tempest. To Owen's glee, and dread, that cry was echoed by the barks of an angry Raptor.

Blue was perched on Saber's back, glaring at the other Indominus with her most hateful, passionate glare. She spared a glance at his expense, but wrote him off as an unimportant player. He made little difference in the fight. The only two of importance were herself and Saber.

Owen wasn't sure if he was happy that Blue was fine, or angry that she still saw him as a mere annoyance. He didn't get much more of a chance to think, as the other Indominus turned suddenly and smacked him with its tail. He hit the ground hard and skidded a few meters.

He felt ever cell in his body scream out in agony. The cuts on his flank plus the skidding inflamed the wound. It didn't just sting anymore, it burned. He stayed down for a moment to catch his breath. He would jump back in when he needed to.

Saber approached the massive Indominus carefully, analyzing the beast for weaknesses. Unfortunately, there seemed to be none. Although the beast was heavily wounded, it didn't seem hampered by its wounds, despite how serious they really were.

A sudden realization dawned on Saber, if the psychic girl was forced from her opponent's mind, the body would no longer be able to sustain itself. It would die from blood loss. She had already won, she just needed to prolong the battle, weakening the psychic girl until she was forced to let go.

 _Exactly, my dear. She is already weakened from the range, just outlast her._

Saber smashed into the other Indominus head-on. With Gordon in her mind, she would no longer be susceptible to psychic attacks, all she needed was the upper hand. Saber bit and clawed at the beast, Blue launched herself onto its back to dig even deeper into its already alarming wounds. There had to be a limit! She just had to find that limit!

But for each strike upon her opponent, her opponent landed a strike upon her. It was a risky strategy, but Saber was slowly pushing the other Indominus back. Blood flowed from both combatants, making the ground slick. It came as a surprise to both of the titans when Saber's leg came out from under her, sending her onto the ground.

She was grasping at the other Indominus' neck at the time, pulling the beast down with her. Blue was caught up in the mess, tumbling down the beast's back and onto the hard ground. She yelped as she rolled away to avoid being crushed by Saber's massive form. She sent a reprimanding bark Saber's way, but jumped back into the fray none-the-less.

Saber began to right herself and stand up, but her opponent was faster. The other Indominus grabbed a hold of Saber's neck and, instead of trying to crush her windpipe, sawed her jaws back and forth. The larger Indominus tossed the smaller a few meters away so it could turn its attention towards the nuisance Raptor.

Saber slid to a stop. She could feel blood rushing from her neck at an alarming rate. Suddenly, she could no longer feel the blood rushing to her wound. She stood slowly and wobbled slightly. She felt... dizzy?

 _I redirected the flow of blood, partially. You'll feel a bit light-headed, but you won't bleed out._

Ah, Dr. Freeman saved her once again. He was a useful ally to have in combat, it would seem. Whether he was focusing on attack or defense, it seemed as if he was unstoppable. She managed to blink the dizziness away, albeit only partially, just in time to see Blue being sent flying.

The other Indominus had sent Blue sailing as if she was nothing more than an annoying fly. Saber growled to herself, there was no way Blue was going to be getting back up after being tossed nearly thirty meters. She would have to finish this fight alone.

Or would she? There was a heart-wrenching cry of, _"BLUE!"_ Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Owen standing once again. He seemed to be shaking with rage, but something else seemed to be happening.

She was concerned when she saw the red color spreading across his skin, she had nearly thought that it was blood seeping through the cracks of his scales, staining them a violent crimson. He let out a menacing shriek and leapt into battle. Saber could tell immediately that it was not the same Raptor as before.

Owen was faster and stronger, easily outpacing the lumbering Indominus. He clambered all over his opponent, scratching and biting, then moving just before the snap of the beast's jaws. The spectacle mesmerized Saber, she was forced to shake her head and rush back into the heat of combat. She couldn't afford to be distracted.

The now red Owen, despite being able to evade the other Indominus' attacks, was completely ineffective at dealing damage. The other Indominus had its back to Saber, trying and failing to catch the fast wereraptor. The beast had been making a fool of itself, turning around in circles. If it wasn't being controlled by a psychic, the beast would've lost its balance.

Saber grabbed the beast by its neck and prepared to hold on. Although it was clear the beast didn't even need to breathe, it had started to struggle. Saber ignored the heavy opposition, the beast's claws weren't enough to force her to let go.

She nearly let go in surprise as she felt something surround her mind. It was Gordon fending off a psychic attack from the puppet master. Saber silently thanked him and increased the pressure on the other Indominus' neck as punishment. She enjoyed the faux Indominus' squeals.

The other Indominus suddenly dropped to the ground, pulling Saber down. The other Indominus landed on its back and immediately began kicking at Saber's exposed underbelly, its sharp talons cutting into her relatively easy-to-pierce flesh. She let out a surprise wail, loosing her grasp on the beast's neck.

The other Indominus took advantage of that, and flipped her over itself. Thankfully she didn't crush the red wereraptor. It was disorienting being tossed around so much, and there was little Dr. Freeman could do to help her besides keeping her conscious. She realized that the other Indominus had already gotten to its feet, she quickly followed suit.

The beast took a few steps backwards, snarling as it did. Saber flexed slightly, trying to relieve some tension in her aching muscles. Owen didn't seem to be impeded by pain at the moment. He only glared at his massive foe, his only thought was on victory. For Sam and Blue.

Saber shifted slightly, considering her options. Her chest was burning from the beating it had taken, it didn't help that one of her ribs was still broken. Dr. Freeman was suppressing the pain, but Saber could still feel the dull throb of the wounds. _This needs to end,_ she realized.

 _Look carefully. Your enemy has backed itself into a corner._

Saber nodded slightly and refocused her sight, not on the massive Indominus, but on her surroundings. That's when she saw it. The Indominus had trapped itself against a rock and a hard place. One one side was Saber and Owen and on the other was a mighty lagoon. She could see something swimming around in the water with her infrared vision.

They lunged at each other, a loud smacking sound echoed through the empty Main Street Plaza. Saber and the other Indominus fought tooth and nail to push the other back. Saber clawed at her opponent and latched her jaws around its throat, and her opponent did the same.

They were dead even, neither able to push the other back. _This is getting us nowhere,_ Saber growled in her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the ethereal form of Dr. Freeman materialize.

 _Are you ready?_

Saber disengaged from the other Indominus. She took a few steps back to distance herself from the beast. Owen kept up his attack, running circles around the massive legs. _Ready for what?_ Saber let the thought sit in her mind. The phantom doctor's chuckle reverberated through her.

 _Clear your mind and focus on calling forth your gamma waves once again._

Saber gave the phantom a strange look, _"My gamma what?"_ she asked out loud. She received no response from the good doctor. _That's right, the EMP wave,_ she remembered. She did as Dr. Freeman requested, clearing her mind and trying to focus on her dormant power.

Her eyes closed involuntarily as she tried her hardest to concentrate. The phantom did his best to help Saber, but she was still struggling. She couldn't remember what had caused her to lash out with the gamma waves in the first place.

A loud screech caused her eyes to pop open as she saw Blue rushing back into battle. The other Indominus was having trouble dealing with being tag-teamed by the two Raptors. The beast was roaring in anger and swiping randomly, hoping to catch one of them by surprise.

But Owen was still too fast, he ducked and weaved through the Indominus' defenses and clawed at its weak underbelly. But Blue was not fast enough. She was already hampered by several internal injuries that slowed her down significantly. She was caught by one of the Indominus' claws and sent flying again.

Saber ground her teeth together, causing her crooked jaw to ache, as she watched Blue collapse and not get back up. Owen hesitated as he watched and waited for Blue to get back up. But she didn't even look like she was breathing. Owen panicked and lost track of his momentum, causing him to be slashed by cruel claws.

Owen's scream of pain cut Saber deeper than the other Indominus' talons ever could. Owen disengaged by jumping several feet away from the enraged Indominus. Saber watched as he stumbled and nearly collapsed to the ground. A large scratch had been placed down the entire length of his flank. Saber could tell that it was bad, perhaps even life-threatening.

It was at that moment Saber felt a surge of electricity that heralded the release of gamma waves. She felt the current run through her entire body, but she didn't know what to do with it. From her understanding, and EMP wave would only hurt technology. It had little effect on living beings.

 _I have never felt more alive._

She felt the phantom Dr. Freeman place his ethereal hand on her leg. The touch brought her comfort, she felt the current moving throughout her body, Dr. Freeman was sending the electricity to a single point.

 _Then when I became a part of you._

Electricity jumped between her claws, crackling with energy. She understood. By directing the gamma waves to her claws and having them jump back and forth between each talon, Dr. Freeman had created a physical electrical field that would harm anything that came into contact with them. With that, Saber rushed forward to meet the other Indominus again.

 _So let's live to fight another day, shall we?_

The other Indominus didn't think anything would be different, so it eagerly collided with Saber. It's violent eyes widened in surprise when Saber shoved her claws as deep as they would go in the beast's flesh. The beast let out an actual scream, but it didn't seem to be coming from its own mouth.

It sounded much too human to be from the beast. It was as if the psychic girl was screaming using the other Indominus as a mouthpiece. The beast went limp and allowed Saber to start to push it towards its watery grave.

The ethereal body of Dr. Freeman disappeared as Saber gave a mighty heave, and pushed the faux Indominus into the lagoon. The being that Saber knew was in the lagoon rushed towards the struggling Indominus.

Suddenly, it leapt partially out of the lagoon, grabbing the other Indominus in its strong jaws. Saber could hear a crunching sound as the Indominus went silent, its misery finally over. Saber let out a deep breath as pain came crashing into her.

She stumbled and collapsed onto the ground. She did it, she was able to kill the other Indominus. She had saved Jurassic World, King had failed. _Or did he?_ Saber pondered. She knew that Dr. Freeman was dead.

But she was not saddened by his passing. He lived on in her. As he always wanted. She stretched out on the ground, she couldn't get up. The gamma waves had taken a lot out of her, and her injuries were catching up.

 _Rest now, you've done well._

The words of the good doctor echoed in her mind. She could feel her eyelids drooping, she was falling asleep. She managed to glance towards the setting sun. The great ruby fireball had mostly disappeared, all that was left was a cloud of smoke.

She let out a deep sigh. The sounds of violence had died down, the island was once more at peace. Just before her eyes shut, she saw the form of a man in a white lab coat. But it was not Dr. Freeman. It was father.

XXX

Little Ila's eyes snapped open as tears streamed from them. She could still feel the pain of the electrified claws piercing her flesh. The burning and stinging still plagued her mind. It hurt, it hurt so much. She sniffed and wiped the tears away.

"I've failed," she managed to choke out. The pain gradually faded, but was replaced by a new pain. The Indominus that she had taken over was a living being. A living being that she had spent years brainwashing and manipulating like some sort of puppet master. She looked at her hands.

They were dirty. Blood that she would never be able to wash off stained them forever. She felt the comforting touch of the man in the black suit, "It's fine."

She looked up at him, tears still pouring down her face, "But you said..."

"I know what I said," the man said gently. "I wanted to leave King in good favor, at least I hoped to complete my mission before turning traitor. But it is of no matter now, we need to get out of here."

She rubbed her eyes, "Mhm," she muttered. The man smiled at her and turned to start the ship. The plan was to leave while King was distracted with his victory. The man knew that King had already left, he would not hear of this failure for a few days. That still gave them plenty of time to get away.

Ila stood from her sitting position and looked around. The man in the black suit had brought her down into the belly of the ship. She was safe down here, or so she thought. Just as she moved to follow the man, she felt something around her throat.

"Ack!" she cried out as her esophagus was partially crushed and she was slammed against the steel wall. Her dull violet eyes widened in surprise when she saw the intense glare of violet staring back at her. She struggled in the grasp of the mystery foe, unable to escape.

She threw her mind at him, only to find her attacks completely ineffective. She felt the man flare his powers, smashing through her shields like they were made from cardboard. _This must be Dr. Freeman!_ Ila realized.

 _Correct._

Was the simple reply that echoed through her skull. Fresh tears sprung from her eyes as fear set in. She had just been set free, she didn't want to die! "What's going on!" the man in the black suit shouted. To him, it appeared as if Ila was levitating.

 _He can't see him..._ she realized. Her struggles ceased. _Which means that father manged to best you,_ she concluded. The phantom betrayed no emotion on his face, but continued to stare at the damaged girl. She could feel him rifling through his thoughts.

 _I am sorry._

He eventually said, releasing her from his grasp. She collapsed to the ground, coughing. After a few seconds, she was able to breath normally again. The ghost of Dr. Freeman didn't leave, however. _Is that all you came to say?_ Ila asked menacingly.

 _No._

 _Then what do you want?_ She shot back. She rubbed her throat, clearly annoyed. She stood from the ground. The man in the black suit looked her up and down, "Are you okay? What happened?" She ignored him.

 _I need you to do something for me._

This caused the little girl to grit her teeth and snarl out loud, "After what you've done? Why would I do anything for you!" The man just stared at Ila, thinking that she had lost her mind. Power flooded the room again, causing both the man and the little girl to drop to the ground, kneeling at the feet of the phantom.

 _I would just like to remind you that I can kill you at any time._

Ila gritted her teeth, "Just finish what you've started!" she cried out. "You've already made me a monster, just put me out of my misery."

 _You misunderstand. Only King believes you to be a monster. Let me assure you, you aren't strong enough to be a monster._

She growled lowly as his chuckling reverberated in her mind. "How dare you insult me!" she snarled.

 _I apologize, but in all seriousness, King is wrong about you... and psychics in general. The only monster is me, and I've already been slain. No, what I have given you is a gift that King has not allowed you to nurture. Admittedly and accidental gift, but a gift none-the-less. Let me help you..._

She felt her mind expand and heal, fixing what was broken. The pain from the battle, gone. The dullness in her eyes, gone. Her lack of control, gone. The blood on her hands, gone. It was as if he destroyed the idea of Ila and built a new one.

Her now vibrant eyes glanced up at the immensity that was Dr. Freeman, "You... fixed me?" she said hesitantly.

 _I cannot fix what is not broken. I simply undid everything King had done. I even took the trouble of restoring your sight, though you would've been able to do that by yourself now anyways. Are you ready?_

"Ready for what?" she asked. She could feel excitement rising up in her chest. Excitement that she had not felt for the longest of time. Her freedom was worth nothing without her sight, without control over her powers. She was ready to face the world once again.

She felt a surge of information enter her mind. Her eyes widened with realization, she knew what the phantom wanted. "Are... you sure?" she sputtered out. The ethereal form of Dr. Freeman didn't answer, however.

He began to break up. It was like watching television static, he just... dissipated. Ila continued to stare at the space the specter once occupied. The man in the black suit made it back on his feet, "What the hell just happened." Without psychic powers, one could not see Dr. Freeman.

"Get the ship ready to go," Ila said. The man raised an eyebrow from her sudden onset of confidence. "We're going back to Isla Sorna."

XXX

 **It took a bit longer than I wanted, but here's the last action packed chapter. We got to see Dracul spare Rexy, despite her sorry state. We got to see the thrilling conclusion of Saber vs the other Indominus. If you all haven't realized it by now, by neither giving the other Indominus a name, nor a gender, I've effectively dehumanized it. It was just a puppet, but as Ila points out, it was a living being... King had her brainwash and take control of a living, thinking being. Several of you predicted that Saber's gamma wave ability would make another appearance, but who saw the other Indominus being thrown into the Mosasaur tank (kind of reminiscent of the actual movie)? We also get to see Ila and the ghost of Dr. Freeman have a nice little chat. And we know that she's going back to Isla Sorna, why?**

 **We only have a few questions left to answer. Is Sam alright? What about Blue? What about the other Raptors? And will Rexy pull through (come on, she's Rexy! Right?)? Will Dracul get to meet Saber? What is Wu doing? What about Claire and Hamada, how do they play into all of this? And of course, will we get to see King again and will he get his just dues? Until next time!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 33 - Denouement:

Author's Note:

 **The final true chapter. After this we just have a short epilogue and the final author's note. We're answering the last few questions we have about this story and showing the few things that everyone's been waiting for. Now that the fighting's died down, what's left for Jurassic World? Will they reopen? Please, enjoy!**

XXX

 _Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter._

"There's no easy way to say I'm sorry," Wu admitted, looking down at his beautiful creation. He had spent the last few hours alone, in his house, pondering upon the nature of his mistakes. He had eventually come to the conclusion that this whole incident could've been avoided if Jurassic World didn't exist.

Dr. Freeman wouldn't have anything to protect, King wouldn't have anything to destroy, and there would be no innocent people to be hurt from the two of them fighting. Saber did not respond to Wu, she had passed out.

Wu smirked softly, "The reason you suffer is because you have been born. I never thought much of it, but it all makes sense when looking at you." He sighed deeply and said, "Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as true justice."

He snorted from the absurdity of his statement, "Lest you would be free and I... well, I wouldn't be. And yet, despite what we've each endured and done, I walk free while you rot in that cage? How's that for fair?"

He could vaguely hear Owen shouting at Blue, but he chose to ignore it. "I wonder if true justice will actually make either of us happy," he shook his head at the thought. And he stood there, not saying anything for several moments, as if he was pondering the best course of action.

He sighed deeply again and rummaged through his lab coat pockets. He produced a needle filled with a crimson liquid, "I suppose it is my duty as your creator to make sure you achieve happiness. Surely, you realize that you can never truly be free... it pains me to admit this to you, conscious or not."

He flicked the needle and held it in such a way the sun glinted off of the cold steel. "I hold the object of your salvation... and after tonight, nothing... no one... will be able to take this from you." And so he bent down to the slumbering Indominus' level and began to inject the crimson liquid into her.

It was at that moment that the phantom Freeman reappeared. He was exhausted. He had spent all of his spare power dealing with the psychic girl. He had thought that she would be malevolent, or at the very least vengeful, but he was pleased when all she wanted was to be free of her oppressive father.

The phantasm reappeared to an interesting sight. He saw Wu injecting something into his precious Indominus. Gordon thought about interfering and preventing Wu from doing whatever it was he was doing, but he was too late. Dr. Wu had already injected the liquid into Saber.

Dr. Freeman stared at Wu, who was oblivious he was being watched, as he stuffed the needle back into his lab coat pocket and shuffled away. Dr. Wu looked awful. Dark bags sat underneath his eyes, his hair was a mess, and he clearly hadn't been showering. He had been unable to sleep.

Dr. Freeman did not pursue Wu, it was pointless to try anyways. Wu would be unable to see him or hear him. So he faded from view and became one with Saber once again.

 _"_ _BLUE!"_ the still Raptor Owen cried out as he managed to make it to the still conscious Raptor. She wasn't doing well, her breathing was short and she would wince each time her chest rose.

 _"_ _Alpha? So you did come back..."_ she managed to choke out. She didn't have the energy to chew her supposed alpha out. He had abandoned them. But he came back and fought his hardest, so perhaps she could forgive him.

 _"_ _Alpha?"_ Owen echoed, confused for a moment. He looked himself over and to his surprise, he was coated in red scales. He had taken Alpha's form and remained in control. He didn't have the strength to be excited or proud of himself.

 _"_ _Blue... it's me,"_ he said simply, willing himself to shift back to a human. The surprised look on her face would've been priceless in any other scenario. But as Owen's human face stared at her broken form, he realized that she was in worse shape than he thought.

Her amber eyes widened, almost comically so, as she attempted to process what was happening. _"I... don't understand..."_ she managed to sputter out. Her claws scraped against the concrete as she began to tremble violently, willing herself to stay conscious. She was losing it, and fast.

Owen wiped a tear from his eye, she was still as tough as ever. The only way she'd accept her death is if the grim reaper himself managed to best her. "I'll explain later... just promise me. Promise me that you'll pull through this," he managed to mutter through clenched teeth.

 _"_ _I... promise,"_ Blue hissed softly as she let sleep take her. She could hold on no more. If she survived... she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Perhaps Stupid Alpha was not so stupid after all... perhaps she should call him Brave Alpha instead. Or Foolish Alpha... she couldn't decide as she lost herself in the all-encompassing darkness.

Owen moved away from her prone form, sending a brief prayer to god. He had never been a religious person, but his mother was. Perhaps he could get points for that. He turned slightly, and to his surprise, saw god in the form of Wu standing in front of Sam. Staring at him.

Owen gulped, he was unsure what to do... once again. He wasn't sure if he should punch Wu or kiss him. On the one hand, he was still angry at the man for turning him into this... _thing._ But, on the other, Wu might be able to save Blue.

So Owen forgot his anger and walked over to speak to Wu. "Wu," he greeted reluctantly. Wu himself said nothing. He only stepped aside to show Owen what had happened to Sam. And it wasn't pretty.

Blood was still leaking from the wound, she was clearly on the edge of bleeding out. "Her... her arm," Owen sputtered out. He clenched his fists tightly, Sam had lost her entire left arm. She grasped at Wu's lab coat weakly before collapsing back onto the ground. She had returned to her human form.

Wu went to work. He took off his lab coat and stared at it for a moment, as if deciding if he wanted to sacrifice it. Deciding that he didn't care anymore, he turned his lab coat into a large bandage. He wrapped it around Sam's bleeding stump of an arm, her arm had been severed barely three inches from her shoulder. He continued to wrap the makeshift bandage around her body, staining the white coat red.

He stood once she was sufficiently covered and turned back to Owen. "I'm afraid that's all I can do for her," he admitted. Sam had lost consciousness.

"What are you doing here?" Owen asked.

"I came to see Saber. Look, we need to get out of here. There's no way we can explain any of this to anyone, it's better if we were never here," Wu said. Owen grimaced, but agreed. There was nothing more they could do, and there was nothing they could do to explain. They would leave the explaining up to Dr. Freeman, where ever he was...

Before they could make their exit, loud stomping could be heard. Owen inwardly groaned, believing it to be another attacker. Saber was down, and he couldn't fight another large dinosaur. Especially by himself.

Rusty green scales burst from behind Rexy's paddock. It was Dracul. Owen and Wu watched as the titan approached Saber's prone form. The passing Spino regarded them only briefly before turning his full attention to Saber.

 _This is the one who calls herself Saber..._ Dracul thought to himself. He brought his dangerous jaws down and touched her flank softly, breathing in her scent. She smelled surprisingly sweet, once he looked passed the stench of blood and battle.

It was difficult to tell, since she was laying down, but she was even larger than him. He felt his pride take a hit, but remembered the massive abomination that he and the even smaller Powerful One had taken down. It lifted his spirits.

Satisfied with meeting the creature he had been hearing throughout his time on this island, only slightly peeved she had been unconscious, he turned to walk away. He was only able to take a few earth-shaking steps before he suddenly collapsed. His wounds had gotten to him.

XXX

Masrani had been standing outside of the Innovation Center for some time, watching the building burn. The Innovation Center was the crowning achievement of Jurassic World, even when compared with the dinosaurs that called the park home.

The Innovation Center housed a massive holopad, one of the most expensive and complex objects to ever be created. And the holograms that the holopad displayed were no simple feat either. Each took hours upon hours of work to make, and required a certain level of dedication that was hard to find anywhere in the world.

And, of course, Masrani's personal storage room was housed within the Innovation Center. He could _feel_ years of his life vaporized in the intense white fire. He had spent time and money to acquire each piece in that storage room. Each piece held fond memories within it, Masrani wouldn't give a single one for the world.

Then there was Hammond's piano. One of the few things Hammond had left in this world. Both of his grandchildren still lived, one actually worked at the park as one of Rexy's handlers. The other was a piece of amber he had kept on a walking stick... Masrani knew that Wu had held onto that particular piece of amber.

The piano was different, somehow. Although perhaps not as precious as his grandchildren, nor as symbolic as the piece of amber, the piano was history itself. Beethoven was rumored to have, at the very least, played the piano several times. Remembering the beauty that Dr. Freeman had summoned from the keys, Masrani couldn't help but be upset that the piano was currently burning.

Then there was the last thing Hammond had left to this world. The park itself. Perhaps the most valuable thing Hammond had left, as it had affected all of them. Masrani, Claire, Hamada. All of them were nothing without the park.

The idea that Hammond's dream being destroyed, after it had finally been accomplished, made rage bubble deep inside Masrani. Jurassic World had been open for a long time, why was it being attacked now? Masrani clenched his fists, promising himself to find the ones responsible for attacking Hammond's dream and bring them to justice.

But first, he had to make sure that the dream didn't die. He had to rally the park and keep it from totally collapsing. He vaguely noted that the woman he had carried from the burning building had disappeared. It didn't matter.

He saw Dr. Gerry approaching his position. Gerry had been very busy over the past few hours. He had gotten a message from Dr. Freeman early in the morning saying to come and collect his chemicals and prepare for casualties. Both animals and humans.

At least Gerry had time to gather his army of vets and prepare plenty of medical supplies. He was proud of himself for foreshadowing the need to have a space set aside for holding patients. The hospital was currently on fire. At least all of the patients in the hospital had gotten out.

"Dr. Gerry," Masrani greeted. Gerry had hobbled over to him as fast as he was able. He didn't say anything, but he did nod in greeting..

Wu had pulled him aside a few minutes ago and explained what had happened. Gerry knew that the vets wouldn't ask questions as long as they had things to work on. So he had sent them to check on Dracul, Saber, and Rexy. He had also bandaged Owen's many wounds and did his best to properly wrap Sam's severed arm with actual bandages.

"What's going on?" Masrani asked. He was completely out of the loop.

"I'm just a vet, I have no clue what happened," Gerry explained. He figured if Dr. Freeman hadn't clued Masrani in on what was happening, then he shouldn't reveal too much. Leave the explaining to Dr. Freeman.

Or... at least Gerry would, if he didn't find Dr. Freeman's dead body lying beside the ACU barracks. He had thought it was a trick, at first. But the blood was real, and still wet. Gerry wasn't sure what to do now, but he suspected someone like Dr. Freeman had foreseen his death and prepared accordingly.

It was at that moment Claire and Hamada ran up to Masrani and Gerry, panting heavily. They had ran a great distance. Hamada was clutching several pieces of paper as he fought to regain his breath. Claire managed to speak first.

"We have urgent news, Mr. Masrani," she said after composing herself. Masrani raised an eyebrow as Hamada held out one of the pieces of paper. He held onto the other ones, refusing to let them go.

Masrani's eyes darted across the paper, and then widened with understanding. "King," he hissed. So it was the InGen CEO who had attempted to destroy Jurassic World. He grit his teeth and growled, an odd sound coming from his mouth, "Where is he?"

"We were unable to stop him," Hamada explained. He pointed over to the western airport, "He made it out on a plane. He had been planning for this."

Masrani nodded and turned to Claire, "Start making calls. I want him brought to justice over this. Lawyers, government officials, the media, anyone who's willing to listen. That bastard isn't going to be able to take a single step without being brought to court for what he's done."

Claire nodded vigorously and set out towards the Innovation Center to do as Masrani asked. She paused when she saw the still burning building. Scoffing at herself, she turned towards her home. She would be able to make calls from there.

"What are those?" Masrani asked, gesturing to the papers clutched so fervently in Hamada's hands. From deep within the burning Innovation Center, the fires reached the two-hundred year old piano.

"A will," was Hamada's simple answer as the fires consumed the piece of history. Its final player having been the good doctor.

XXX

The plane had made it off of Isla Nublar without a hitch. King chuckled to himself, it was all so easy. The smirk vanished from his face. Much too easy. He waited several minutes for the plane to make it a few miles from Isla Nublar before standing from his seat.

Anderson had fallen asleep. He always did. King shook his head. The jet that the duo were on was very luxurious. There was a small table with large, comfortable leather chairs and two large televisions hung behind each of the chairs, so neither of the occupants would have to turn around to see. Both were currently off.

Other than the tables and the televisions, the cabin of the jet was empty. There was plenty of extra space that most people would put a pool or ping-pong table. Or maybe a dining area. But King was not _most_ people.

The space was left mostly empty except for a simple wooden chess board and a table to place it on. Anderson was never awake, so the only person King had to play with was himself. Something he did vigorously, he was used to having no one to play with. And with the death of the good doctor, he had no one to play with once again.

He approached the chessboard, intent with striking up another game with himself. A soft chuckle escaped his lips when he saw that the last game he had played was still present on the chessboard.

His thoughts were drawn to Dr. Freeman and the single game that they had played. The smile dropped from his face once again, a deep frown taking its place. He had absolutely and completely crushed the good doctor.

"I won," he mumbled to himself, as if finding the concept difficult to believe. As if he never expected to win. _Then why do I feel so empty?_ He pondered. He had felt empty before, a void that he had filled with things and people. It was why he married and had a child, it filled the void that was ever present in his life.

And when Dr. Freeman tore a hold in the plug he had made, and released the void once more, King had thought he would be consumed by it. But he had distracted himself with Dr. Freeman. He had chased the "good doctor" across the world.

First to Siberia, where Gordon had hid for over three years, living off of the wilderness. And then to Greece, where the good doctor had thought he could escape his wrath. And then to Germany, and it was at that time that King realized what he needed to do.

He realized that he was only chasing the _idea_ of Dr. Freeman. Gordon couldn't be brought to justice the conventional way. Psychic powers made him untouchable in a court of law. He could break the minds of everyone in the room, convince them not to convict, and then wipe everyone's memory. And that would be that.

So he changed strategies. Dr. Freeman couldn't be destroyed, but the _idea_ of Dr. Freeman could be. So King had convinced Masrani to go to Germany and managed to force the two of them to meet. Gordon didn't disappoint and Masrani offered him a job.

King waited months for Gordon to subtly build his domain around Jurassic World, where the idea of it being threatened would force him to stay and fight. King had counted on Saber and Gordon connecting on a personal level.

And so they waged war, a grand war. And King won... but at what cost? There was nothing left of Dr. Freeman to oppose him. There was nothing left for him to accomplish. He could perpetuate his war, bringing every single psychic to justice... but why should he bother?

"What's the point of winning if it brings you nothing?" King pondered aloud. Defeating Dr. Freeman had actually taken from him. The only other being on the planet that could compete with him was gone. And he had destroyed Jurassic World, although he claimed it to be a necessary loss... he loved that park.

He loved that park more than he was willing to admit to anyone. Anderson _hated_ the park. King wanted nothing more than to waste the days away, staring at Rexy or Saber. That's why he, from the bottom of his heart, wanted to at least save Saber.

But he couldn't show weakness to Dr. Freeman. If Saber had accepted his offer, Gordon would have reacted poorly. And, in order to reign victorious, King had to keep Dr. Freeman acting as he was supposed to. And fall into his trap.

King sighed deeply. There was just two loose ends he needed to tie up. And then this whole thing would be over. With Jurassic World gone, they couldn't press charges and he would get away without a single fine. And with _them_ gone...

King turned back to the chessboard, observing the game that had been played. An eyebrow raised in confusion when he recognized the game. It was the very game he had played with the good doctor, just laid out before his eyes on a physical board.

The board was set up a few moves before he was supposed to checkmate Dr. Freeman. His eyes narrowed when he realized there was a single difference on this board than the game he had played. The piece that was supposed to be protecting his king, a white rook, was now a black rook.

Realization dawned on him. One of his pieces defected. Without that one rook protecting his king, he had lost the game. _But who defected?_ King wondered until he heard a snarl from behind him, "King."

He didn't turn around. He recognized that voice anywhere. "Dr. Giddings," he returned the greeting with significantly less malice. "I thought you were put in a coma and left for dead."

Marie smirked, "I managed to free myself."

"And board this plane, it would seem. I hope you can forgive me for understandably leaving you behind, we all thought you had burned to death."

"Fire cannot kill a dragon."

"Indeed," King chuckled. He turned around, grabbing the white king off of the board and fiddled with it in his hands. "Why so angry?"

"Why so empty?" she fired back snarkily.

King snorted, "We won," he said simply.

"It's all you ever wanted... I didn't even realize it until I woke up. You never intended to destroy Jurassic World, you were just after Dr. Freeman the entire time," she said.

King smirked, "Yes."

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"What next? You seem _so enthusiastic_ about your victory, what's next?" she asked. She stared at him expectantly, but he did not respond. "That's what I thought. You only had a singular goal in mind, and now that that goal is completed, there's nothing left but a sad man with lots of money."

King opened his mouth to retort, but could not think of one. So he just shook his head, "Perhaps there is nothing left for me to do."

Marie glared at him, "Now we both know that's not _true!_ " she snarled. King just gave her an exasperated look, annoyed by her anger.

"There's still _me_ and _her_. Don't lie to me, I know that you were planning to have us eliminated," she growled. She gestured behind her. She had stowed away in the jet's bathroom, and out of the bathroom collapsed a charred corpse.

"I made a _pit stop_ before I got onto this plane. Little Ila didn't even know you sent an assassin after her. So I took the pleasure in _frying_ him," she grinned. "You had planned to be rid of us psychics from the beginning. Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

King crossed his arms, still gripping the white chess piece, "My daughter and my... previous most trusted adviser, planned to betray me. And you, surely you understand why I cannot let you live." He didn't grin or smirk, he seemed actually downtrodden.

"I've been nothing but loyal to you, King," she sighed, "But yes I _understand_ why you're going to betray me. You can't keep your promise, can you?"

"No," was his simple response.

"There is no force on heaven and earth that can wake her, is there?"

"No," was repeated, only softer.

Marie felt a tear run down her face, "Then at the very least, I can end both of us. Isn't that the logical conclusion? A life with no meaning should not be allowed to continue, and neither of us have anything left to live for. What do you say to me just ending us both here and now?"

While she was still trapped within her own mindscape, she came to a simple conclusion. She could not escape her fate. She was doomed to live without a sister and cursed with these powers. And she wasn't even strong, either. Dr. Freeman was a being she could never hope to compete with.

No matter how hard she had tried while in her own mindscape, she could not see herself in any future except this one. Perhaps that's what Dr. Freeman had been trying to tell her. Her fate was to be a psychic without a sister. She had accepted it, but she was not pleased with it.

Freeman had conveyed to her that revenge was not an option against him. She could not strike at him, she was not strong enough. But she _was_ strong enough to strike at King, the one who had lied to her. The one who had led her on with false promises and delusions of grandeur. She could still have her revenge on him... and for Dr. Freeman's sake.

She realized, while in her mindscape, that she wasn't really angry at Dr. Freeman for turning her into a psychic and taking her sister from her. No, she was angry because he ran from her. And now that she had encountered him once again... she realized that she still cared for him. He was her friend... and now he was gone.

So she began to gather her beta waves, sending them inward into her being. Pyrokinesis was extremely dangerous. By sending beta waves inward instead of outward, she was exposing them to her volatile alpha waves... and she could simply explode from the pressure. "I forgive him, you know," she mumbled.

King raised an eyebrow when he heard her. "Forgive _him?_ For what he did to you? To us?" he asked as if the very concept was incomprehensible.

Marie glared at him, "Yes. I know that he alone could not carry the sins of all psychics on his shoulders in your mind... but none of this was his fault. It was simply... an accident." She clenched her hand into a fist, "I think that's what we're all forgetting. I was just angry that he ran from me... and from you as well. Perhaps he could never be brought to justice, but was any of this justice?"

She gestured towards the burning Jurassic World. King continued to fumble with the chess piece in his hand and said, "Yes." He refused to admit that he was wrong.

Marie's violet gaze widened, but narrowed in rage not a moment later. "Is that so?" The air around her began to heat up as her beta waves collided with her alpha waves. The process was irreversible now. "It is foolish to think that his death could ever make anyone happy, not even you," she growled.

"You are judged and found _wanting_ , King! You have nothing, you _are_ nothing. _Nothing!_ " she cried out. Her body began to tremble under the immense pressure within her. She remembered one more thing from her past. There was a single spell from the game she and her sister played that was stronger than meteor.

But this spell was too dangerous. It could not be stopped, unlike meteor. And it completely destroyed the planet, killing both combatants. In light of the danger of the spell, the sisters agreed to ban using it. Marie had never though she would get to cast the spell again.

King seemed to think for a moment. He placed the chess piece back onto the chessboard and faced her fully. "Do you know how _Der Freischütz_ ends? Kaspar, having trifled with the Black Huntsman Zamiel, is whisked away to hell for his sins. His corpse is then thrown into a ravine to be eaten by wolves. I have prepared myself, Miss Giddings, for Zamiel has come to collect me."

King held out his hand, as if inviting Marie to follow him to hell, and continued, "I'm not delusional, my dear Marie, I know when my time has come. And I shall not resist, so please, take me to hell."

Marie glared at the outstretched hand. He had stolen it from her. Even if she killed him, she could never be satisfied with his death. Her violet eyes burned into his soul as rage consumed her. _How dare he steal the satisfaction from me!_ Marie screamed within her mind.

The plane began to shake as Marie's alpha waves began to mix with her beta waves. They reacted violently with each other, as they were supposed to. Anderson woke up at the violent shaking to see Marie practically _glowing._ King was not able to say another word as Marie announced with her dying breath,

 _Supernova._

A simple declaration with drastic consequences. Ruby fire burst from her being, consuming the entire jet in mere moments. The fire remained in the sky for several minutes, burning, before disappearing without a trace. No one would be able to find any remains.

The ball of fire appeared just as the massive Indominus was closing her eyes. But not permanently. She soon awoke to fight on and prevent King's total victory.

And... just as the fire consumed Marie's soul... in a hospital in California, a woman awoke from a coma. Violet eyes blazed to life as she realized what had happened to her and her sister. And she let out a psychic scream, shattering all the windows in the hospital.

XXX

It took several days, but the dead had been gathered and a funeral procession had started. To everyone's dismay, Dracul had not made it. His old age plus his intense wounds made it difficult to save him. Hamada had taken the old dragon's death particularly hard.

Rexy had survived, but only barely, and to everyone's relief. But the scars she received were permanent. Sam had also survived. Although her arm was forever lost, she had survived losing an alarming amount of blood.

Blue was still in poor shape. She had taken immense damage, but she was slowly pulling through. Owen was glad at least one of his Raptors was going to live. The other three had died facing the other Indominus.

Speaking of the other Indominus, ACU was never able to recover its remains from the lagoon. It did not take long for the odd Indominus to be completely forgotten by everyone except Saber. She had scars to remember the faux Indominus by, not to mention the occasional nightmare.

The Spino-Rex was also being buried. Everyone had noticed how the neck had been bent at an odd angle, but no one was willing to explain how he had gotten out of his paddock, let alone how he had died.

And... Dr. Freeman was being buried. There were... mixed feelings from those present. Some knew him to be the savior of the park, others saw him as the fool who attempted to stop a terrorist attack by himself. And failed.

The burial was held far away from the park, closer to the ruins of the original park. Many people were present, but Saber was too. Owen, having not explained to anyone how he knew, explained that she just wanted to watch them bury Dr. Freeman.

She had actually wanted him to be buried in her paddock, but Owen was unable to convince Masrani of doing so. Masrani felt that he deserved to be honored with an open ceremony, at least. The large dinosaurs were pushed into their respective graves with heavy machines, while Gordon was lowered slowly.

Masrani stepped up in front of the few people, and one hybrid, gathered. "To say that we didn't lose anything after this terror attack would be a severe underestimate. But, I am... happy to say that we have not been shut down. Jurassic World will live on."

He paused for a moment, to let the supposedly happy line sink in. But in their mourning, there was no applause. Some were still with fear from the mere sight of Saber, who sat not far from the gathered humans. They were wary of her, but she remained absolutely still.

"For the one human we are burying today... I have a will," Masrani said. He cleared his throat and pulled out the crumpled pieces of paper from his pocket. "It reads as follows:

 _Why standeth the pawn before the King? No, that doesn't seem right. In my many years of experience, I have learned not to ask the question why. So, instead, I ask: how standeth the pawn before the King? Whether by accident or by choice, the pawn stands little chance at actually besting the King._

 _So why does he remain? Courage? I doubt it. Determination? Unlikely. The reason the pawn faces the King is because he has something to fight for. And, in writing this, I realize that I have something to fight for too. Jurassic World._

 _I am fully aware of what is happening. I... understand that I am unlikely to make it out alive. And I accept the price. This was never about me. I was always ready to sacrifice myself for the sake of my beloved Saber... only until just now do I realize how selfish I've been. So I've expanded the scope to include the entirety of this park, and everyone in it._

 _My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman... I'm a bit different than all of you. There's no easy way to explain, nor should there be any way to demonstrate seeing as I am dead, so I'll say nothing more on the matter. But I will say that this is entirely my fault. The terrorist, or as you likely know by now, Edward King, CEO of InGen, is after me specifically. I wasn't sure at first, but as I write this, I am becoming more and more confident in this fact._

 _And because this is all my fault, it would be unfair not to reward those who have sacrificed much because of me. I have been... manipulating a few of you into fighting for me, and I realize that you are the true heroes of this war. Not me._

 _So please. I know that it seems an out of my control, especially because I'm dead, but I would like to remember Hamada as commander Hamada of ACU. The reason he was dishonorably discharged was because of this whole stupid war, he deserves his title back._

 _I know that Owen has taken that position. I also understand that he would no longer have a job here. Which is why, in light of my death, I would like him to inherit the position of Indominus trainer. He is the only one who can perform such a task. I know that he will be unwilling... but, in the small chance any of his Raptors survive, they would rather be with Saber. And he just wants to be with them._

 _Alas, I have nothing more to give. It... saddens me that I can only ask for one final thing. Though, I hope, she stands before you now. I hope that you did not turn her away. Dear Saber, my precious Saber, I want you to live on. I know that you depend a lot on me, and in a lot of ways I depended a lot on you. So I ask, for her sake, that she be allowed a larger paddock._

 _If she can never be free, due to her nature, then at least I can try and give her more space to roam. Maybe she'll be happier if she can roam without seeing the walls, without being reminded that she is cursed to remain imprisoned forever. It's not her fault._

 _And so I find myself with nothing more to say. I've... killed a lot of people in my life. Some, accidentally. Some, purposely. I cannot fathom regretting killing even one of them if it would've meant that I never got to come live here on Isla Nublar. They say live with no regrets... but I haven't been absolutely faithful to that. I still regret one thing._

 _I deserve nothing, in spite of everything."_

Masrani finished. He sat back down, next to a barely composed Claire. She was struggling to remain impassive, but wasn't sure how long she could hold out. She knew that she would be crying if Rexy had died.

They all watched, silently, as dirt was piled on the corpses. Saber tilted her head to the heavens and let out a long wail. Such sadness was contained within that sound that even the ones wary of her presence took their eyes off of her and bowed their heads in respect. For Jurassic World will endure.

XXX

 **Again, this is the end of the story. There's still an epilogue and a final note. The epilogue will be short and the note even shorter, so expect those soon.**

 **I would just like to take a moment to address King's death. It takes place a few chapters ago, but I don't actually reveal how it happened until now. It seems a little out of place, but I think that it was worth the wait, no? A lot of you wanted to see King face justice, and so he did. But I ask, was he truly wrong? In destroying Jurassic World, perhaps, but Dr. Freeman? Perhaps not. Hopefully, this final scene with King will allow you all to resonate with him, allow you to understand what he had gone through. Even if you don't agree with him.**

 **Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the final pieces of this story.**


	35. Chapter 35

Epilogue:

Author's Note:

 **Well, here it is. The epilogue. It's more of a "where are they now" piece. It takes place about six months in the future. It's a bit short, but worth the read none-the-less. Please, enjoy!**

XXX

Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. They flew by so quickly, few noticed how much time had actually passed since the King Incident, as they were calling it. Many had simply forgotten. It was for the best, after all. No one wanted to be plagued by death.

It took a few months, but the Innovation Center had been completely rebuild, holopad and everything. The Hammond Creation Labs were finished next. But Wu was no longer in charge of the labs. He had stepped down.

He perhaps suffered the most out of everyone involved in the incident. He waged an internal war for weeks on end, before deciding to resign. He moved back to the States and immediately handed himself over to the law for human experimentation.

He never told anyone about Sam and Owen, but he explained how much human was in the Indominus. He was put in prison for life. He lived his days in a large correctional facility, slowly losing his mind. Human experimentation was one of the lowest of the low, he did not live his days well.

Sam took over, reluctantly, as chief geneticist. She was, without a doubt, a perfect replacement for Wu. She was undoubtedly brilliant, much like Wu, but she slowly became more and more like him as the days passed. So much so that even Claire would make passing comments about her transformation.

She refused to get a prosthetic arm. She wore her battle scars proudly, despite never telling anyone exactly what had happened. Even when presented with the opportunity to get a robotic limb, she declined.

She spent her down time with Owen. She still enjoyed the thrill of being a Raptor, so she would go to the Indominus paddock and release her restrictions to run with Blue and Saber. Occasionally, Owen would join them. Though, sometimes as Alpha and sometimes as Omega.

Sam and Owen had spent much of the six months since the Incident repairing their relationship. They had decided to forge their own paths. And they happened to intertwine. Though neither party had claimed anything official, many of the Jurassic World staff members considered the two an item.

Speaking of Owen and Blue, as the Innovation Center was being rebuilt, a new paddock was being added to the park, right next to Rexy's. Saber and Blue moved into the new paddock, a definite improvement over her old one, and Owen would spend his days there.

He had reluctantly accepted his role as the new Indominus trainer. Not that she needed to be trained, but she appreciated having someone to talk to. He would speak during her shows, which she had begun to grow understandably tired of.

She had taken to teaching him chess, but he was nowhere near as good as Dr. Freeman. She was disappointed in the lack of a challenge, but enjoyed just having the opportunity to play. Sam was much better than Owen, but her visits were rare, due to how much work she had.

Owen and Blue had managed to reforge their bond. Now that he could take Raptor form upon a whim, they would often spend time together, just talking. Owen enjoyed it immensely, and it helped Blue cope with the loss of her sisters. She was much less ornery now...

Hamada had taken his position as commander of ACU back. At times he was thankful everything was back to normal, but then there were times when the Incident invaded his dreams. He was never able to escape what he had gone through. The people he had to kill.

Claire had perhaps changed the least. She was still a business woman at heart, frugal and determined. But there was something else there, now. She visited Rexy every night. She realized just how close the park came to losing their best... member.

She remembered a time when she would call even Rexy an asset. But no more. She knew every single animal by name, and referred to them as such. She understood what Rexy meant to the park... to her. And she knew the ancient Rex was not much longer for this world.

Rexy herself lived her days as she always had. Even a near death experience did nothing to curb her fiery temper. She did take up a new past-time, however. With Saber being a permanent next-door neighbor, the two had gotten to know each other.

Saber learned a lot from the old Rex. And Rexy learned a bit about the odd hybrid, a strange word upon her tongue. Dr. Freeman would even speak to the aging Rex through Saber. Rexy was saddened by his death, but not surprised. She had told Saber that she could sense it from the violet-eyed man's tone.

Masrani was a more permanent presence around the park now. He rarely left, and when he did, it was not for long. He would tell those who asked that the one thing tying him to this park was now only himself. He was afraid of leaving and never coming back. He bought himself a grand piano, and spent weeks mastering the art.

He had also gone to many of Saber's shows. It was seeing her within that small paddock, knowing that she could communicate through Owen, and knowing how much she was suffocating and suffering had pushed him to order a new paddock to be built next to Rexy's. He still went to many of her shows.

A day after the Incident, the States were blowing up with news of the terrorist attack. Masrani had taken InGen to court and successfully separated from the vile company. Although King, or his remains, had never been found, the company was disbanded after the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna rose up and took back their island.

Dr. Gerry had taken well to his new lab. The vet building had grown immensely, his office was no longer next to the broom closet where they stored chemicals. There would always be that part of him that yearned for one more good adventure before his time came. He was determined to go out with a bang.

Control was expanded as well. Lowery, who did his job because he enjoyed it, refused several promotions due to him not wanting more money or responsibility. Lowery still pondered about Dr. Freeman, he had never been fully informed about what the hell had been going on. To be left in the dark this long... well, he threw his insane theories out long ago. And the theory on top: Dr. Freeman the psychic.

Oh... and, of course, there's Saber herself. Although Dr. Freeman was forever with her, losing Dracul and then father took a number on her psyche. It cut her deeper than she was willing to admit. The phantom doctor was there, doing his best to fix her depressive attitude, but there was something else that cured her insanity and depression.

She had laid eggs a few months ago. The geneticists had scratched their heads for weeks, trying to determine how it happened. They were worried that, if she could reproduce asexually, then the Indominus population would become rampant very quickly.

But Dr. Freeman had figured it out first, and only allowed two people to understand what had happened to her. Dr. Wu had her artificially inseminated as she laid unconscious on Main Street. Only Sam and Owen knew the truth, the other geneticists had given up.

The eggs had taken three months to hatch, after the three months they had taken to be laid. Saber was over the moon about being a mother, something that no one could take from her. She laid three healthy eggs.

The first two hatched at nearly the same time. Both females with crimson eyes like their mother. They viewed the world through glassy eyes and Saber understood the gift of life. She cared for those two for several days before the other egg hatched.

Owen and Sam had been worried that the other egg wasn't fully grown, and thus, wouldn't hatch, but Saber never lost faith. And, when the egg began to hatch three days later, she gave her best smirk and said, _"I told you so."_

The hatchling looked identical to the other two, except for the fact that it was a darker, grayish color. And it was male. But that wasn't the only difference. While the other two hatchlings viewed the world through crimson eyes, like their mother, this hatchling saw things through a field of violet.

XXX

 **Boom. Bet you didn't see that coming. Everything's back the way it's supposed to be. Just... Wu's in prison, Dr. Freeman's dead, and Jurassic World and InGen have completely separated. Oh, and Saber is a mother, now. That must be profitable for Jurassic World... Thank you everyone for reading, please stay tuned for the final author's note, where I discuss a few different things concerning this story and the future of this story.**


	36. Chapter 36

Final Thoughts – Legolepsy:

I was unsure if I should address you in the typical bold of an author's note or in normal font. This is not a normal author's note. I'll say that right off the bat. I have a few things I want to address, but I would like to talk about the story first.

Many of you have noticed (and or complained about) the sudden shift in focus in my story. I will admit to this, mostly because it is true. Originally, this was a story about Owen and Wu, then it turned into a story about King and Freeman. Even if Owen's story was still present, it definitely felt as if it was taking a back seat to Freeman and King.

So let me explain what happened. When I accepted this story, I was actually writing a different Jurassic World story at the time. You may be wondering what happened to it, and I'll tell you: it's gone. Well, not gone, it's still in my head, but I lost a lot of progress.

Let me explain. I had read _It's Not the Raptor DNA_ near the beginning of this year. And as I waited for the next chapter, I wrote. Before I even had a fanfiction account, I wrote a magnificent story, that I hoped did justice to what SkullsandDuggary was doing.

It wasn't, of course. I remember saying to the one who commissioned me to write this that I had something else in the works, so it would likely take a back seat. But it didn't, as I wrote more and more for this story, I fell in love with it.

At the time, I had written nearly 100,000 words for my other story. I was going back through and editing, thinking that it was ready to post. I figured that I could edit and post that story while writing and editing Tedium. I was wrong, of course.

The other story (whose name I had debated on for some time) was no longer sounding right in my mind. It wasn't heading in the direction I wanted. So I said, "I'm going to put this story down and focus all my efforts on Tedium, I'll come back to this." A mistake, of course.

It prompted me to put a character you all know as Dr. Freeman into Tedium. He was originally nothing more than a nod to a future story. He was supposed to play a minor part and only hint at his psychic powers (which was why it took so long for me to confirm that was indeed what he could do). You'd find out in the other story I posted.

At the end of the first arc I had gone back to my old story and realized that some of this made more sense in Tedium than in this story. So I cut those parts and moved them to Tedium. That gave Dr. Freeman a bigger role.

Then, as some of you may remember, I lost my old laptop. And with it, all of the data for my old story. It's gone, but not forgotten. When extending Tedium, I started to take more and more from my other story, so much so that I stole the entire ending. King kills Freeman and then dies to Marie's fire.

I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late. So that's why there's a sudden, dramatic shift in my story. Because a fading dream began to infect a more vibrant one. So perhaps what I'm going to ask is foolish.

I was originally going to as you all a series of questions (but I scrapped many of them because I didn't want to sound like an English teacher), but I only have three for you all. And, if you would please oblige me, I would like you to answer them. Reviews, PM's, whatever works as long as I hear from as many of you who care.

1: Perhaps it is... presumptuous of me to ask this, but I truly care. I enjoyed writing this story and I wish to know if you all truly enjoyed reading this story. Was it captivating? Did you feel engaged to a certain degree? Or was it all too much for a simple fanfiction? Criticism is welcome, of course.

2: Was there anything that stood out in particular? A favorite scene or phrase? Or perhaps a scene that you didn't like, or hated me for. Either one, or both, I don't care.

3: This... is the oddest question out of the bunch, and the most foolish, without a doubt. As I have explained to you, there was another story behind this one. And it was going to be a good story, my masterpiece, but something happened while I was editing it and writing Tedium that I became disillusioned. I am offering up two choices, should I recreate this other story? Or should I write a sequel to this one? Or do neither and move on to other works of art?

Before you all decide, there are a few pros and cons to each. The first thing that I must emphasize, I have two stories I put on hiatus to rush this story. I will be finishing them first, then moving on to whatever you all want.

As for the other story, it focuses more on Dr. Freeman and Saber and their interactions instead of veiling it within a story about Owen. I have been bitten by the creative bug (bastardous little thing) and have been rewriting it completely within my head. I must warn you, however, Dr. Freeman and Saber are written quite a bit differently than in this story.

I know that Dr. Freeman had a violent streak, but you tend to see it as either an accident or to protect what he cared about, but not in this other story. He is violent for the sake of violence. He actually starts out as an antagonist and is more than willing to resort to his full power to just... break people. One of his many feats is actually subjugating the entirety of Isla Sorna and putting all the animals back into cages, including Dracul.

Saber is actually going to be renamed, first off. I know it'll be difficult thinking of her under yet another name, but I was thinking something a little more demonic. Really showcasing that there's something wrong with her, and this other story goes into depth.

On the other hand, a sequel has questions to answer. I left a few things open ended because I had always intended for there to be a sequel... well since the start of the second arc. We'll focus more on Owen, Blue, and Sam and their dynamic, but now we have some Indominus hatchlings to explore.

And, of course, there's still Ila and the man in the black suit, what happened to them? And Mary, Marie's sister that woke up in the last chapter. What does she do? The sequel will be noticeably shorter, but still a story in its own right.

Feel free to pick both or neither. Depending on what you all think, after I finish with my stories on hiatus, I am more than willing to do both. I just need to know the order in which to write them. And that's where you all come in.

I would like to thank everyone again. I never really expected this kind of response. Although nowhere near _It's Not the Raptor DNA,_ I am still... proud of myself and this little story. Sure, there are some mistakes (I would ask you about my mistakes, but I already know where they all are... and trust me, they haunt me) but no fanfiction is without fault.

So please (I know that it sounds like I'm pandering for reviews) give me some sort of response. Even guest reviews are taken into consideration. Everyone's voice is heard (complaint or otherwise). Until next time, Vellichor29 signing off...


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